


Beautiful Minds

by Bibliophile_812



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bickering, Detective Betty Cooper, Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Investigative Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Mental Health Issues, Mild Language, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Slow Burn, Solving Mysteries together, Writer Jughead Jones, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:08:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 77,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24942832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibliophile_812/pseuds/Bibliophile_812
Summary: Detective Elizabeth Cooper is required to join forces with famous mystery novelist J. Jones on request of higher authorities. She hates the thought of working with a writer and goes to great lengths to keep him out of her way. How does it work out between organized Cooper who is a strict follower of all rules and chaotic Jones who refuses to follow any?
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Kevin Keller, Betty Cooper & Reggie Mantle, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge, background Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 64
Kudos: 102





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I kind of tried Jug/Betty as Castle-Beckett relationship, except obviously Jug does not have a nice family. Please let me know if you like it.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.

It was another Monday in Betty’s life. Same dull, boring Monday. She started her car just in time to reach the station. Elizabeth Cooper is a detective in Riverdale Sheriff’s station and she hates her job. Well, not really. She loved her job while in NYPD. But she hates it here because she hates this town. Which is ironic considering she grew up in this small town. She grew up with all her pain and struggle and she was beyond happy to leave for college. She never wanted to come back. Why would she? She had an amazing life majoring in journalism. She was excellent in her studies and came top of her class, she even joined New York Times for one year. But then her mother happened who was always forcing her to come back home and join Riverdale Register to help her family. She joined police academy just to rebel against her mom. And maybe to prove a point to herself. But she loved the training too. She joined NYPD and became the youngest detective in her batch. She had no plans to return to this god-forsaken town. Then, one year back, she received a phone call informing her about her sister, Polly’s accident. Her mom was spiralling after Polly’s death and her 10-year-old niece and nephew had no sane guardian to look after them. She tried to move all of them to NY with her. But between her mother’s breakdown episodes and the kid’s school, she was not successful in that plan. So, here she is, back to town for last six months now, working as a detective in Sheriff’s station. The sheriff is her childhood best friend Kevin’s dad, so it is not that bad. Bad is Detective Reggie Mantle who also went to high school with her and harbored an unrequited crush on her ever since. She has to keep her calm through every day staring, heart eyes and sometimes little emotional drama from him.

When she pulled her car in the parking lot, her mood is already sour from not getting morning coffee, a fight with the kids which ended in, like many other times, “you are not our mom” and unusual traffic on the way. So, when she saw a lean and tall man sitting on her desk, carefully examining through her desk decorations, she lost her cool.

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing at my desk?” she demanded more rudely than she intended. The man spun around and she immediately knew who he was. She knew him from endless interview sessions on television, she will never admit to have watched and from the back covers of his novels which she would deny to have piled in her library.

The man extended a hand with warm smile, “Hi. I am J. Jones. You might have heard of me if you are a mystery novel buff.”

She shook his hand and maintained a stoic face, “No, I have not.”

“Ouch”, he feigned a hurt expression with his left hand on his chest.

Sheriff Keller came at this moment. He was pleased to see Betty, “Ah Betty! See you have already met Mr. Jones. I was just telling him you are the best detective we have around here.” She nodded, not taking her eyes off of Mr. Jones yet. He is even more handsome in person. He has a kind of mysterious appearance that would catch the attention of anyone easily. His eyes are a clear shade of blue, his raven hair is a careless mess which only makes him more attractive, he has a sharp jawline and perfect nose. He is wearing a white button-down shirt, which is highlighting his broad shoulders, with faded blue jeans. Yes, he is definitely a hot young man whom she would love to check out under normal circumstances. But this is not a normal setup. He is at her workplace, sitting casually as he owns the place. Definitely not normal.

“What is he doing here?” she asks firmly. Sheriff Keller clears his throat, a little nervous, “Uh. Mr. Jones is in town for some time and Mayor McCoy requested that we take his help to solve the Jason murder case.”

“What?” She was furious. No, she was more than furious, she was murderous. This is humiliating. She is a trained detective. She has worked cases in NYPD far more complicated than this. She has two more detectives to help her. And Mayor McCoy wants her to take help from a mystery writer? The sheriff understood her mood immediately and retorted, “Actually Mr Jones has consulted for some cases before in Boston PD.”

She eyes the man suspiciously. She loves his books, although she would never admit that in a million lifetimes. But writing good mystery novels is far more different than good detective work. She shakes her head, “I am sorry, Mr Jones. This is my case and I don’t accept help from amateurs.”

If he is offended, he does not show that, at all.

“It’s only Jones”, he says in a bored voice as if he was expecting her to protest, “and you will be amazed to know what amateurs can do.”

“Oh really?” Betty places her hands on the hips and narrows her eyes. Sheriff Keller intervenes once again, “Cooper, can I see you in my office?”

If she was furious with the whole situation, Sheriff’s words added fuel to that when he explained that the author is in search of the inspiration for his next book. She does not want to be a character in some mystery novel, even if it is a bestseller. She was angry at the audacity of this J. Jones who casually showed up at her station and demanded her to be his next inspiration or whatever. She was infuriated that her superiors like the Sheriff or the Mayor complied and did not protest. She stormed out of the office to her desk. But as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, loud voice of Veronica Lodge came through the doors, “Hey B! Good Morning! I come bearing coffee and bagels.”

Veronica moved here three months back. Apparently, she is from a rich family. Her father owns a lot of business establishments in New York city. But she wanted to make a name for herself other than her family business. So, she came here to start her own business venture. She bought the most popular diner in this town, Pop’s and also did an amazing job of redecorating and opening the underground speakeasy which was closed for a long time. Betty did not have any friends here, despite of growing up in this town. She has always been perfect straight-A student, captain of cheerleader team, chief editor of her school newspaper, but she was not very successful in friendship department. She had been too busy maintaining her perfect reputation growing up to make any real friend. When Veronica came to town, her sassy and confident personality immediately appealed to her. Veronica was also new and did not know anyone in Riverdale. So, two of them became good friends at once, ‘B and V’ as her co-workers say. For last couple of months, it has become a routine for Veronica to come with breakfast from her diner for Betty in the station. They would catch-up over food and go their separate ways for the day. It is the most interesting time of day for Betty. _Today, that is going to be ruined by the presence of this useless man at her desk_ , she thought ruefully. But also, something seemed off as Veronica entered the room, she did not seem to look as lively as she always does.

Before she could ask what is wrong, to her extreme surprise, almost borderline shock, Veronica and Jones looked at each other for a moment before Veronica squealed and jumped in his arms, “Oh My God, J! You asshole…we are dying with worries and you are sitting here fit and fine!”

Betty watched with stunned expression as the interaction unfolded.

“Jeez Ronnie! No need to be so dramatic”, he said, giving her a one-arm hug. Veronica looked at him with narrowed eyes and hit him hard in the shoulder. “Ow, what’s that for?” he complained.

“For being MIA for last 48 hours”, she snapped.

“I told you guys I needed some time to clear my head”, he replied, “what are you doing here?”

“Should not I be the one asking that question? I told you last time about my business venture here.”

“That was Riverdale? You said some small town. I did not know that’s here.”

“Okay now you know. Now spill. What are you doing here?” 

“The first draft of my next book is due in three months and I have no idea what to write.”

“So, you are having a writer’s block and basically hiding from Cheryl?” Veronica grinned. Jones glared at her, “Whatever I am having, Cheryl’s daily follow up calls are surely not helping to deal with it.”

Betty remembers Cheryl Blossom from the interviews and book signing tours of J. Jones. She is his publisher and manager. Cheryl has an envious body and smart personality. She often wondered if Mr. Jones and Ms. Blossom has any relationship deeper than professional one. She is snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Jones saying, “I was searching for a new muse for my next novel and Jane suggested Detective Cooper here. It seems she has extraordinary reputation as a detective. I was fascinated by her stories.”

“Excuse me, Jane Brown sent you?” she could not believe her ears. She had the privilege to work with Detective Jane Brown in NYPD. Brown was a phenomenal detective, successful and accomplished in her job. She has no idea why Detective Brown will send this man for her. She adds, “Was she your ‘muse’ too?” Her air-quoting gesture sends Jones in hysterics. He says, in between fits of laughter, “No. Jane is a friend. But I admire her and I believe in her words.”

“I don’t want to be your muse”, she pursed her lips in a thin line and crossed her arms on her chest.

“Fine”, he says, throwing his hands in defeat, “I will make Detective Mantle my lead character. Or, Detective DeSantos. But I need to be with you guys when you solve the case. You know, for authenticity.”

She looked at her colleagues. Reggie Mantle grinned so big at this that Betty thought he must have hurt at least twenty muscles in his face. Joaquin DeSantos gave a thumbs up to Jones. She sighed, knowing there is no point in further fighting, her bosses already agreed to this arrangement, “Great. Okay. You can come with us and be there when we work on the case. But do not dare to break any rules and always follow my orders. Is that clear?”

“Yes Ma’am”, Jones gave a two-finger salute to her.

“That’s great! I will prepare the guest rooms in my apartment then”, Veronica told pointedly, “text me when you are done J. I swear to God, if you bail on me this time…”

“I will text you.” Jones cut her.

* * *

Jason murder case is more intricate than it looked at first. The case started with a missing 6-year-old in the morning, he was found dead near a swamp in Fox Forest after 5 hours of the missing report filing. He had a head wound and died from internal bleeding. The ME confirmed that the reason of death is a killer blow to the head. No other injuries found.

There was no apparent motive. The parents did not get any phone call demanding ransom. There was a window open in the kid’s room. Police suspected that the kidnapper came through the window at night. The kid’s 12-years-old brother was sleeping in the adjacent room. He did not hear anything. The parents were in so much shock that they could barely talk to the Police. The elder brother, Will, was a mess. He sat there clutching to his mother, the whole time. The case took a toll on Betty. They did not have any solid leads even after two days.

Currently, Betty was sipping coffee and doing some paperwork while Jones was sitting across her, engrossed in the case file. He looks cute when concentrating on something, she thought. A black curl is hanging on his forehead and she tries hard not to push it back to the thick mess of hair. She becomes angry with herself with that idea. It is not the time to be unprofessional. And the presence of this man is actually disgracing for her. What could possibly an author see what she and her team did not? Just like sensing her thoughts, Jones looked up from the file and said, “Sometimes, a fresh set of eye helps.” She snorted, “Sure!”

He took out one photo from the file and handed it to her, “The kid was tucked in and it looked like he was sleeping. What does that say to you?”

She was not in a mood to brainstorm ideas with him, but she had nothing else to do anyways, “That means probably the killer felt remorse.”

“Ah-huh. And what kind of bizarre killer kidnaps a kid, does not demand ransom and feels remorse after killing?” There’s a smug smile on his face which she absolutely hates. She quirks an eyebrow playfully at him, “You tell me, Jones. It sure looks like you cracked this case open.”

“You are the detective here, Cooper. All I am saying is this is not a professional killer. This is personal”, he remarked.

“Ah! Sorry for thinking that you actually could contribute something useful”, Betty gives him an innocent smile.

“I might, after seeing the abduction site”, he shrugs.

She, never in a million years would have thought to escort a novelist to her crime scene. But as Sheriff mentioned, it’s the Mayor’s orders. She groans internally. The crime scene is Jason’s room. It’s a 3-room modest house complete with a porch and a backyard. As she rings the doorbell, enormous amount of uneasiness washes over her. The most difficult part of the job has always been the interaction with family members of victims. This is worse as the victim is a 6-year-old boy. Mrs. Clump opens the door, a little surprised to see her. She tries to give her a tight-lipped smile and says, “Sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Clump. Can we go check Jason’s room once?” The woman nods and opens the door wide to invite them in.

“I am her partner, Jones. Nice to meet you Ma’am”, Jones quips from behind her. She had to suppress an urge to kick him in his shin.

Jason’s room is an average kid’s room with a bunk bed. A few toys are scattered on the floor. Jones went to the bed and touched the bedspread with his fingers. Betty hissed, “Use the gloves, Jones. And your brains too, if you have any. It’s an active crime scene.”

He ignored her comment, “Do you think anybody slept here?”

“what?” she asked confused. Without any warning, he kneeled on the floor and peeped under the bed, retrieving a soft toy from there. She put on her gloves and snatched the toy from him, exasperated, “Don’t you know even the basic rules?”

He gave her a smirk, “I do, I just refuse to follow them. Besides, you will not find any fingerprint except Jason’s on that.”

“And how are you so sure about that?” she challenged. He rose up to his feet and headed for the door, “I have my fair share of experience with kids. Jason did not sleep on the bed, Cooper. He used to sleep under it.”

The journey back to station is uncomfortable for Betty. She does not know if it’s the same for him. It does not look like that. He is staring out of the window and tapping his fingers along the beats of some old pop song on the radio. She is mentally cursing herself for not checking under the bed before. Although she was not the lead detective in this case initially and she trusted Mantle to have covered checking every corner of the room. But she also believes what Jones said. The toy mostly will have only Jason’s fingerprints as his mother identified it as the one, he would not sleep without. There has been no proof of struggle which makes her earlier assumption obvious that whoever took that kid, knew him. Jason probably went with the person voluntarily. Then a realization hit her. If Jason was sleeping under his bed, how will the kidnapper know that he is even in the room? Unless they checked specifically under the bed for him, which is odd.

She clears her throat before speaking, “Are you absolutely sure that the kid was not sleeping on the bed at any time?” He tilts his head towards her, wearing an amused expression, “Well, let me get this straight, Cooper. You are actually asking for my opinion?”

“That’s why you are here, is not it? For ‘ _consultation’_?” she snaps. He holds his hands in surrender, “Fair point. Okay, the kid might have slept on the bed when his parents tucked him in, but he most certainly slipped under his bed with his sleeping buddy after that. It’s common in kids with insecurity. You should probably look into why he felt so insecure in the first place.” She nods, agreeing with him against her wish, “Yeah. Thanks.”

He looked at her almost empathetically, “I know you probably hate me. But I am not the enemy here.”

“I don’t hate you”, she scoffed.

“Okay”, he shook his head without arguing, “Can you please drop me off wherever Ron lives?”

“You are living with her?” she kept her gaze on the road.

“I booked a suite at Five Seasons. But I am exhausted of riding my bike for last two days and I don’t have the energy to fight her right now”, he explained, leaning his head back to rest it on the backrest, closing his eyes. She stole a quick glance at his features. He looks younger and vulnerable with his eyes closed, guard down. She suppressed her urge to comment on his bike riding, rather she let her thoughts drift to the kind of relationship he might have with Veronica. Veronica is pretty much an open book about her daily life, but she is reserved when it comes to her personal matters. They seemed quite close and comfortable with each other. As soon as she pulled up in front of ‘Pembrooke’, the luxurious apartment building where Veronica lives, he opened his eyes.

“A lavish apartment with personal security? I should have known”, he shook his head, looking thoroughly unimpressed. She almost laughed at his reaction, “Your last three novels have been New York Times bestsellers. Do you really want me to believe that you are not accustomed to this by now?”

He frowned at her, “Trust me, I don’t think I can ever get used to the luxurious way of living.”

He started to unbuckle his seatbelt when she asked casually, “How do you know Veronica?”

“We went to high school together”, he opens the passenger door when a sigh of relief escapes her. She does not even know why. But that stops him in his seat while he twists his body to face her with a coy smile on his lips, “Relieved much?”

She can feel heat rising up to her neck and replies quickly, embarrassed, “No. That’s not what…”

He waves a hand dismissing her mid-sentence, “It was a joke, Cooper. Thanks for the lift by the way.” She nods and checks herself from saying anything more awkward, “See you tomorrow, Jones.”

He gets out, closes the passenger door and places his elbows on the open window pane, facing her, “So, you know about my last three novels being bestsellers, huh?” The mischievous glint in his eyes makes her cheeks flush. She did not even notice when that information slipped from her during their conversation.

* * *

Jughead was slumped in a leather couch in Lodge living room, pretending to listen to Veronica’s excited monologue about her flourishing business. She has managed to convince him to stay in her guestroom and sent Smithers to bring his luggage from hotel suite already. He was too tired to protest. And he would never admit it publicly, but Veronica is one of his very few closest friends, he cannot really deny that he was happy seeing her today.

“Jug, are you listening to me?” her voice snaps him back to present.

“Yeah. What is it?” he asks timidly. She narrows her eyes towards him before declaring, “I am planning to throw a party this Saturday.” He groans in frustration. He hates parties and she knows that.

“If you want me to leave early, just say it”, he grumbles. She gets up from sofa and starts going through her laptop, doing God knows what. After agonizing five minutes, she looks up at him and beams, “I have confirmed with Archiekins that he will be joining us. Cher will be away for business but Toni will come. It will be like a small reunion.”

He throws his head backward in frustration, “If I needed a high school reunion, I would have stayed back in New York.”

She furrows her brows, “Who said you need anything? I need it.”

“Do you?” he squints his eyes, pouring himself a glass of water.

She puts her index finger on her chin, pretending to think for a few seconds and says, “Yeah. I do.” He sighs heavily, knowing very well how stubborn and persuasive Veronica Lodge can be. She adds thoughtfully, “No need to be so upset Mr. Wednesday Adams. I will invite Betty also.”

His head snaps up, “Okay? Should I be happy?”

She gives him a look, “Based on how you were all smitten for her this morning, I would say yes.”

He nearly chokes on his water, “Excuse me!?”

She ignores him, already reaching for her mobile and calling Betty.

It is weird in a new place. Jughead never gets to sleep well when he is not in his own bedroom. Although Lodge guestroom can easily beat any five-star establishment in terms of comfort, he found himself staring at the ceiling for most of the night. His mind wandered idly to the blonde woman he met today. He had heard about her a lot. How she joined the academy even after being a successful crime reporter for some time, how she excelled at her work and how she had to go back to her hometown due to some family emergencies. Seeing her up close, increased his interest in her. She was no ordinary woman and the author in him was fascinated to read more into her story, more than what is visible to public eyes. Hopefully, he will get to know her more before the book is finished.

* * *

Veronica was more than happy to trade places with him for carrying Betty’s morning coffee and bagel. Jughead rolled his eyes at her eagerness in playing ‘cupid’.

He reached the station before Betty or anyone else for that matter. So, he busied himself with the investigation board, details are spread over the board in neat pieces of printouts. He thinks about the motive a child could be murdered, impulse, revenge on parents, sexual harassment and getting rid of the witness? In this case, impulse seems most likely as Clump family seems well liked by everyone as per the details on board and Jason’s body did not show any signs of sexual harassment. But he saw a copy of medical report is attached on board which states Jason actually had another injury, an old one, a broken wrist. A broken wrist seems kind of normal for a kid, the records show reason as falling from bicycle. It would surely not have raised any suspicion if he did not notice the insecure behaviour of Jason at bedtime. He pulled out a post-it note from his messenger bag and wrote “ _insecurity_ ” before sticking it on the board, then “ _broken wrist…abuse?_ ” on another and placed it on the board as well.

At precisely this point, he heard a soft gasp from behind him and turned back. He could see Detective DeSantos standing there open-mouthed, Detective Mantle is looking absolutely horrified, Betty is standing a little behind them, with a murderous glaze in her eyes and at a complete loss of words. It took him a couple of moments to realize that all these reactions are actually directed towards him.

“Did you just touch my murder board?” Betty hissed, in an icy cold voice.

“Guilty!” he tries to sound as charming as possible which earns him another deadly glare from her.

She comes over to rip away the post-it notes and tosses them in the waste bin. He tries to protest weakly, “Hey! those were valid observations”, when two other detectives give him empathetic but warning looks. But he falls silent almost immediately as he watches Betty to take out one piece of crisp paper from her bag and pins it on the board. The paper contains printed lines:

**Why was Jason insecure?**

**Was his broken wrist a case of abuse?**

Mouth agape, he stares at the board, not even daring to make a teasing comment on how great minds think alike. She takes a step backwards from the board, looks at it almost appreciatively before wiggling a finger at him,” Don’t think of touching the murder board again. EVER.” Then, she reaches for the coffee that he put on her desk before and sips it like nothing happened.

“This is cold”, she comments after a couple of sips and concentrates on her bagel instead.

He clears his throat and quips, “You are welcome?”

She raises an eyebrow at him but continues eating the bagel. Detective Mantle comes to the desk with a file, “Betty, this is the medical history for Will Clump, as you requested.” She thanks him taking the file. But he waits there.

“Yes, Reggie?” she looks at him after taking few moments to go through the file. Reggie’s mouth forms the most playful smile he can manage, “You know, I had to put a lot of effort into getting those records within one night.”

“And?” she frowns questioningly.

“And I was hoping you would appreciate my work by going out with me for a dinner”, Reggie’s voice is flirting, but with a lace of fear.

Sighing heavily, she replies in somewhat clipped tone, “Well, you already get paid for your work, Reggie. I think that’s enough appreciation.” His smile falters as he stumbles back to his desk.

“That was a smart move”, Jughead comments thoughtfully.

“What was? This”, Betty gestures the file, “or that?” She tilts her head a little towards Reggie.

“Both”, he shrugs, “what does the elder brother’s history say?”

She pushes the file to him. It is there. Multiple ER visits. A lot of broken bones in different parts of the body. Every time presented as either falling from stairs or a fight at school. His jaw clenches. A sense of déjà vu filling his head. He grips the file in his hand a little tighter, until his knuckles turn white and he can hear his phone buzzing. As if destiny playing some kind of comedy show, the screen shows Jelly calling. He immediately gets up and goes to the little open area to receive the call.

“Jug!” Jellybean’s clearly excited, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Jelly. How’s classes going?” he tries to push the images from medical file back to his mind and concentrate on his sister’s refreshing voice. She updates him about her class schedules, her part-time job in a little café, the new book she got from library. Finally, she asks about Thanksgiving plan. It’s always the same for them for last ten years. From the time he officially became an adult and got his sister’s custody, it’s always been Andrews house for them since. Dinner with Fred, Marie and Archie. Sometimes, Veronica would join, if no extravagant Lodge holiday plan comes in the way. They all love JB. And him. It surely feels like home. But, still it’s not home. Then again, he really does not think that he could ever have a home in his life. After ending the call, he does not go back inside. Rather he lights a cigarette. The smoke drowns him in memories. Thanksgiving dinner from his childhood. His parent’s fighting. His father’s raging alcoholism. His mother’s drug problem. Moving constantly from one crappy apartment to another. Only things constant in his life were his writings and Archie’s friendship. Well, after Jelly was born, she was added to that list. As soon as Archie came to his mind, he felt guilty. He did not talk to him after he left New York on Saturday morning. His best friend sure deserves an explanation.

Archie picks up on second ring, “Jug?”

“Hey man! Sorry I did not call before”, he says genuinely.

“No problem bud! Ronnie told me that you are going through a writer’s block.” Archie is nothing but a supportive friend, as always.

“Um, yeah. Kind of”, he hesitates. He is not really sure if it’s a writer’s block. Mostly, he was feeling restless and Cheryl was being a pain in the ass as always. But if Archie is happy with that explanation, so is he.

“See you on Saturday, then?” Archie asks. He remembers, Veronica told about a party. Suddenly, the idea of said party does not seem repelling as seeing Archie and Toni would be welcome to his current state of mind.

He was finishing his cigarette with a last drag, when coughing sound came from behind. He jumped a little before spotting Betty standing there with absolute disgust etched on her face.

“This is a non-smoking zone”, she points to a little board saying the same. He was in no mood for a banter. So, he quickly throws the cigarette on ground and smashes it with his boot. As he turned to go inside, Betty murmurs, “I cannot stand the smell.”

“Okay”, he pulls out a handful of mints from his pocket, puts in his mouth, offers her one. She declines the offer shaking her head, “We are picking up Will for further questioning. Do you want to listen to the interrogation?”

The prospect of interrogating that terrified kid makes him a little nauseous. But he knows that is the right thing to do. He nods before heading inside.

Will seems frightened beyond his wits. He will not utter a single word. Betty is trying her best to soothe the kid and get some kind of confirmation about the abuse. But he is flatly refusing any comment. She somehow talked Will’s mother into giving her fifteen minutes with Will alone. Almost ten minutes passed, but he is not showing any intention to talk. Both Betty and Joaquin feel a little frustrated. Their whole case is now depending on theory of abuse. If they can get some proof of said abuse, they might be able to convince a judge for search warrant. Betty is sure the murder weapon will be inside the house. When they almost gave up on the idea of Will’s help, a knock comes on the door. Joaquin opens it to see Jughead standing there. He was in next room listening to the whole conversation. The fear in Will’s eyes made him come to talk to him.

“Can I try, please?” he asks Betty and Joaquin with uncharacteristic softness. Both shot him a quizzical look. He simply shrugs, “Maybe he needs someone who is not professional.”

“Or, who has his own IQ level”, Betty mutters under breath.

“Do you have any other plan?” he asks pointedly.

Joaquin gives Betty a look that clearly says, _we don’t_. She ponders on the idea for a moment before agreeing reluctantly, “Fine. But if I find you breaking any rules, I will stop the questioning then and there.”

He nods, “got it.”

Will gives him a panicked look. He smiles softly and sits on the desk, gently placing his own hand on the kid’s, making sure that his touch does not scare him. When Will does not pull his hands away, he asks, “Can I tell you a story?”

The kid looks at him, a little puzzled, but nods.

He starts telling him the story, “I knew a little boy. His parents were always fighting. He used to sleep under his own bed, he had this sleep buddy named Skippy. He never spent a night without Skippy. Skippy gave him strength to pass the night without crying. When his mom used to come home late, some days if he did not do his homework, or he did not respond first time his mom called him, she would punish him by beating him. She would beat him till he became unconscious. His dad would not be home most of the time. But when he came around, he would take the boy to ER, for broken bones, deep cuts, sprained ankles. But he never admitted to the doctors or the child services that it was anything but accident. He was afraid that telling the truth will take him away from his parents and he would land in foster care. He heard so many scary stories about foster care from his mother.”

At this point, he could feel that drops of tears fell on his hand which is on top of Will’s. But he pretended not to notice them. He continued with his story, “Then there came one day. The day he protested against his mother. He was a little older than you then. He was fourteen. But he did not fight for himself. He fought for his little sister, who was only four. He stopped their mother from hurting the little girl and escaped the house. He spoke up for the first time in his life for the sake of his sister. You know why?”

He looked into Will’s eyes. The boy’s eyes are shining with tears. He smiled a little and brushed the tears away with his thumb, “Because he knew that his sister deserved justice. Do you think Jason deserves justice, Will?”

Will nods vigorously.

He says, “Okay. So, will you tell me how Jason broke his wrist?”

The boy starts speaking. He tells everything about their father’s years of abuse in between sobs. Most of the time, they would not go to ER. Their mother would treat them with home remedies. After Jason was born, Will would always try to insert himself between his brother and his father to protect Jason. But sometimes it would not work. The morning Jason went missing, he and Jason were playing in their basement. There was one model of some kind of drone there. Jason started playing with that. Will recognized it as his father’s project work from office. So, he told his brother not to touch it. But, by that time, Jason was already flying it with a remote they found. It crashed shortly after, broken into pieces. Their father came running. Before any of them could react, he took the baseball bat lying on ground to hit Jason. He might not have intended to hit his head. Jason panicked and tried to run to his brother, so the bat hit him on the back of head. He fell on the ground. Their father asked Will to go to his room and not utter a word to anyone. He never saw his brother again.

Will was sobbing uncontrollably as he finished his story. Jughead wrapped the boy in his arms, rubbing one hand on his back. He is way too familiar with this breakdown. His eyes were not dry either. But with years of practice, he has managed to maintain a neutral face.

On the other side of the glass, Betty stood frozen. They were expecting some kind of abusive parent story only. But when it all came crashing down from the little boy’s lips, she felt rage bubbling up in her blood. She asked Joaquin and Mantle to get the arrest warrant. It does not take a detective to understand the story Jughead told was his own. She never thought she would ever see this side of him. She now realized that she did not know anything about his personal life and suddenly felt intrigued by him. When Jughead came out of the room, she tried to speak normally, “That was …something.”

He shrugged as if it’s a normal murder story in his book, “Yeah. I researched for one of my novels.” That’s all he offered before bidding goodbye for the day. Betty, knows for a fact that none of his novels are based on child abuse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica's party. A bizarre mystery. Some new feelings.

“Is this really necessary Ronnie?” Jughead was frustrated with the number of outfits already thrown on his bed. Veronica glared at him looking as offended as possible, “Of course it’s necessary. It’s a damn speakeasy. It has a dress code and a standard.”

He gestured at his flannel shirt and black jeans and demanded, “Uh. What are you getting at?” She did not answer but sent another stern look in his way before going back to rummage through his wardrobe again. He sighed heavily and collapsed on the bed. If he is lucky enough, Archie would be here soon saving him from this strenuous experience.

* * *

Betty was not having a very good morning. Alice was on one of her days. She was giving her a hard time for not paying enough attention to the kids and how Polly would have successfully handled any situation. The kids were throwing tantrum after she banned them from going to a sleepover because she did not like that particular friend’s family, they were involved in some shady business deals. Frustrated, she took a plate of pancakes and asked the kids to eat peacefully. Both of them refused. Sarah sat there, hands folded on her chest, brows furrowed while Noah simply left the table to go play video games in his room. She felt like crying. She is a strong woman but life has thrown enough challenges in her way to break her. As if it was not enough to have an overbearing mother, absentee father and abusive ex, now she does not have the support of her sister and two unruly pre-teens to look after. She remembered Kevin’s suggestion, “You need to get out more, Betty. Maybe start a new relationship.”

She laughed at his idea, “Kev, I don’t have enough time for myself. I am juggling my job, my mother and two kids at the same time. Where do you think I can fit a boyfriend there?”

To which Kevin pointed out that people find time for the things they want to do and this is nothing but Betty’s fear of getting into a relationship that stems from her past.

She knows that she needs to get over an abusive three-year long relationship with her college boyfriend. But that experience was traumatic. She never really thought that she would be able to get out of it. Although she feels like it would be nice having someone with her now. Someone who can understand her, share her interests, whom she would be comfortable with. So, when Kevin proposed a double date on Friday night with them and a friend of his, she did not blow him away like usual.

She did not expect anything but some enjoyable time with fun conversation. To her surprise, she actually liked Sean. He was a construction business owner in Greendale, a neighbouring town. He knew Kevin from a drama workshop they attended together. He was handsome and a perfect gentleman. She had a good time with him. When he came to drop her off after dinner, she asked him casually to be her date for Veronica’s party next day. She did not even know this kind of last-minute invite would offend him or not. But he agreed quite eagerly. After getting into bed, she realized that Veronica never mentioned a plus one in invitation.

“Hey V!” Betty tried to sound extra cheery to hide her nervousness.

“Betty? Hey. Is everything alright?” came Veronica’s groggy voice. She blinked twice. She actually called Veronica way early for a Saturday morning and did not notice that at all in all her anxiety.

“Yeah, yeah. Um. I just wanted to know if I’m allowed to bring a plus one?” she hesitated a little. It somehow felt weird asking this question. But she knows that this is the woman who always tells her the importance of a healthy date life. So, she would understand. When she was silent for a couple of moments, instead of squealing immediately and demanding for details, Betty started feeling uncomfortable.

Then Veronica answered, as sweetly as possible, “Of course, B! But I did not know you were seeing someone?”

Oh! Relief flushes over her body. Maybe her best friend is just disappointed that she did not tell her. She started explaining quickly, “Oh V! it’s just I met him yesterday. But I really liked him.”

“Okay”, came Veronica’s soft reply, nothing more.

After disconnecting the call, Betty felt that all excitement for attending the party with Sean has gone.

The excitement returned in the evening when Sean arrived on time. He was so perfectly on time that she could not help but think if he was waiting outside the door for the exact moment before ringing doorbell. He came with a bunch of red roses. maybe a little too much for a second date, which is not exactly a date. But she decided to ignore that fact and smiled brightly. He complimented, “Your dress is beautiful. You are looking gorgeous, Betty.”

Noah and Sarah gave dirty looks to him. Betty sighed heavily. Her niece and nephew have never accepted any man she has allowed to enter the house, be it a colleague or a date. Maybe it comes from the experience with weird men Polly used to date. Sean tried to be good with them, with a cheery “hello little people”. But they ignored him completely. She took her purse, bid goodbye to her mother, who simply scowled at her, and left for the party, arm in arm with Sean. He is looking good in a grey suit. And Betty felt content driving down the familiar streets with a man beside her.

* * *

Jughead was playing video games with Archie, when Veronica came to their room. His onscreen character was dying ruthlessly because of Archie’s accidental shooting, he was screaming at his best friend. So, her words were not registered by his conscious mind, “Betty is bringing a date.” He waved at her vaguely.

It was when he saw Betty in a gorgeous emerald green cocktail dress instead of formal trousers, her long slender legs showing perfectly, her curves highlighted by the cut of her dress, eyes shining bright, golden hair freely waving down to her shoulder instead of the signature ponytail, arm around another man’s, then he remembered Veronica’s words. Okay. This is her date. He did not know why his chest tightened a little at that thought. She is absolutely allowed to date anyone she wants. It is none of his business. He does not even know anything about her personal life except whatever she let the people in NYPD know. Trying to distract himself he concentrated on the stage where a local girl band, the Pussycats, was performing. Veronica told him that they are all high school students, except their lead singer, Josie. She is the music teacher in Riverdale High. Although this genre of music is not really according to his taste, Josie’s voice is amazing. It kind of makes your heart clench and leaves a smile on your face at the same time.

He avoids alcohol consumption after going through the whole childhood trauma of having an alcoholic father. So, he asked for a soda and sat on a stool near the bar. Hopefully, Betty won’t notice him here anytime soon and he can engage himself in his fantasies. But life always has played cruel jokes on him. Today is no exception. Just when he took the first sip of his soda, thankful for Betty’s attention solely being devoted to the stage, a pink-haired girl stumbled onto Betty, said sorry and made a beeline for him. This made Betty look at his direction. He desperately avoided eye contact, though he could feel her eyes boring holes into his side. Toni hugged him briefly before settling next to him.

“Your timing sucks”, he murmured to her. She raised an eyebrow. He shook his head, “later”.

But he forgot that he has a Veronica Lodge in his life. Just as the performance ended, she came to the bar with Betty and her date in tow. He groaned internally.

“Oh good, you are here!” Veronica said cheerfully, “Toni, when did you come?”

Toni cast him a side glance, “Um. It seems my timing was bad. So, let’s not talk about that.” _Why his own best friends are planning to destroy him?_

Toni continued, “Cher could not come. She was really upset to miss this.”

At that he could not hold back his response, “Yeah, like I needed another disaster tonight!”

“ _Another_?” Toni asked in an amused voice.

Veronica cut in, “Well, you can’t call Cheryl a disaster. She was a godsend when your first book was published.”

“More like Toni-send”, he countered. This time he was grateful to Veronica for changing the topic. The raven-haired woman eyed him briefly before turning to Betty, “So Betty, this is Toni. And you know J.”

Betty smiled, “Hi guys. This is Sean.” The man beamed at them.

Jughead tried his best to return the smile.

The five of them chatted briefly, mostly Veronica going on about her business and casually listing Jughead’s greatest qualities. Toni kept giving him weird looks, but he ignored it. It’s not that he does not know what Veronica is trying to do, setting his up with a girl she thinks is perfect for him. And for the first time in his life, he was not upset about that. Archie joined them shortly, handing him his phone, “Hey Jug. Cheryl wants to say hi.” He rolled his eyes. Toni stifled a laugh beside him.

Once the phone call ended, suddenly Sean asked, “Jug? Is that your name?”

He shrugged, “More of a nickname. Trust me, the real one is worse.”

Archie piped in, “Yep, I second him.”

Toni offered, “I never really understood his logic of giving himself a ridiculous nickname like Jughead when all he was trying to do was to get rid of his ridiculous given name.”

Veronica commented, “I still prefer Jughead over Forsythe.”

“Your real name is _Forsythe_?” He could see Betty trying to hide a grin and failing miserably.

“Wow! Thanks guys!” he huffed.

* * *

Betty was enjoying the music on stage. She has always been fan of Josie who could easily make a fortune in big cities but decided to stay in Riverdale and teach music. She attended high school with Josie, but never been close enough to her to ask the reason. Not that she regrets. This is her way of shielding herself from the outer world. Being close means being vulnerable and getting hurt. She does not want to get hurt, again. Somebody bumped into her and promptly said sorry. She nodded at the pink haired pretty woman who headed towards the bar. She did not know why her gaze followed her, but her eyes landed on Jughead then. He is dressed in a navy-blue dress shirt with suspenders on and a black suit, sharp jawline clearly visible in his side profile. She did not see him much after Jason case got wrapped. Although Sheriff Keller informed her that he would stick around for next three months, she did not dislike the idea now as much as she did earlier. He came to the station for a brief amount of time for last few days, but mostly hung out with Reggie or Joaquin. Suddenly, she felt an irresistible pull towards him even with a handsome man in her arms. She was happy when Veronica led them to the bar and started chitchatting.

* * *

Veronica, being herself, had organized the party perfectly. Starting from a wide choice of cocktails to delicious dinner buffet and separate dance floor with DJ. After Betty and Sean have excused themselves to go to the dance floor, Veronica turned towards Jughead and squinted, “You _do_ know you have a chance there, right?”

“She is literally with a date, Ron”, Jughead scoffed.

“Uh-huh. And why do you care so much?” Toni chirped, taking a swig from her beer bottle. Archie was thoroughly confused, “Jug, do you like Betty?”

“No. I don’t”, he confirmed.

“Yes. He does”, Veronica ignored him and looped her arm through Archie’s, “I will tell you the whole story tonight, Archiekins.”

“There is no story”, he protested and earned a sarcastic “sure!” from Toni.

Frustrated with his friends, he left the bar in search for his first love, food. The buffet had a wide variety. He was more than pleased to explore all the options. Halfway through his culinary journey, Veronica approached him again with a fair man, his gelled hair and crisp suit are so perfect that he looked like coming straight from a photo shoot.

“Enjoying yourself, Holden Caulfield?” Veronica greeted Jughead. He simply groaned through mouthful of food.

“This is Kevin. Betty’s best friend,” she informed him happily. His eyes grew wide. _Is Veronica really trying to hook him up with Betty through Betty’s best friend now?_ Sensing his uneasiness, she whispered, “Don’t worry. He was already in the guest list.”

Kevin smiled at him sweetly, “Well, I have few other identities, V. I’m Sheriff Keller’s son, I’m dating Joaquin DeSantos and I went to high school with Reggie Mantle. I think he knows all of them.” Sarcasm was evident in Kevin’s voice but he was smiling good-naturedly.

Jughead swallowed his food and nodded thoughtfully, “We all can agree that’s a pretty impressive biodata.”

Kevin perked at that, “I’m really happy to meet you at last. Betty will not shut up about you.”

“She won’t?” he gulped. Veronica gave him a “ _told you so_ ” look.

“Of course not. She is one of your biggest fans,” Kevin continued, “she even waited for four hours in the queue, when your second novel released.”

“Did she now?” he was amused remembering how Betty won’t admit that she even heard his name on their first meeting.

Kevin was easy to talk to and within minutes they fell into comfortable conversation. Toni joined them as Veronica and Archie headed for the dance floor. After a while, Betty came stumbling to their group, “Hey Kev. When did you come?”

Kevin grinned, hugging her, “Jesus Betty! how much did you drink?” She waved a hand dismissing the question, “Not counting, Kev. Tonight, I’m letting myself loose, as you always tell me to do.”

“That’s good, girl”, Kevin said supporting her by her shoulders, “speaking of letting loose, where’s Sean?”

She shrugged as if that’s not really important, “He had to leave early, some business call.”

The night went on. Jughead was surprisingly having a good time, until Betty announced that she had to go home now. It was pretty late. She was trying to book a cab when Veronica chimed in, “Jug, will you be a gentleman and drop her at home?”

He was always ready to drive one of Veronica’s fancy cars. But he was also worried about his friends. No one is sober enough to drive. He generally takes the role of their designated driver after any party. Toni assured him, “We will just call Smithers to pick us up.”

Betty was way more intoxicated than he thought. She was not able to walk straight on her own and giggling uncontrollably. God. The sound of her giggles was making him dizzy. He helped her to climb on the passenger’s seat and carefully placed the seatbelt. As he started driving, he rolled the windows down. Cold night breeze touched his face. Betty let out a soft sigh.

He told, “You have to give me the directions to your house, you know.”

She smiled softly and nodded, “Keep following the road, I will tell you when to turn left.” She did not seem very wasted when she spoke. But after a few moments, she admitted, “I really lost it today. The margaritas were amazing.”

He agreed easily, “yeah. Ron’s margaritas are phenomenal.”

She arched one eyebrow at him quizzically, “how would you even know? You only had soda.”

He teased, “Oh I did not know you were watching me the whole time.” He could see her cheeks tainted with a shade of pink. Within minutes, she guided him through a series of left and right turns which ended in front of her house on Elm street. Jughead helped her to her front door. She leaned on him while fumbling through her purse searching for keys. She smelled like fresh flowers. He had to tuck his hands in his trouser pocket to avoid doing anything stupid. She was able to unlock the door finally and staggered through the living room as quietly as possible. He helped her on the stairs when his eyes fell on the couch. Two kids are sleeping there, they probably fell asleep watching cartoon as the tv is still on.

She also looked at them and cursed under her breath, “My nephew and niece. But I am in no state to tuck them in bed now.”

A familiar sense washed over him. It seems just yesterday, yet like previous life, when he used to fall asleep on their couch with his sister. They did not have a nice house like this, neither they had anyone to care about them. But it was similar in a sense that they had nobody to tuck them in bed, they were on their own.

“Do you want me to do it?” he asked sincerely. She shook her head, “it’s already pretty late. Let them sleep there. My mom will wake up in a few hours anyways.”

He thought if it was okay to ask about the kids’ parents. But she told him anyhow, “since Polly, my sister, passed away, it’s been a difficult year for them. Their father was never in the picture. And there was a time when Polly thought they were soulmates.”

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was full of bitterness. He could imagine the pain she felt when her sister was betrayed. Maybe that is why she never lets her guard down, he thought. He squeezed her shoulders a little tightly to comfort her. She simply shook her head and continued upstairs. Once at her bedroom door, she turned to him, “thanks Jughead. You are a gentleman. And a handsome one too.”

Pressing a light kiss on his cheeks, she giggled once more and went inside. He stood there for a moment to collect his thoughts. He reminded himself that the last part was nothing but drunk ramblings. He went downstairs, switched off the television, grabbed the discarded blankets from floor and tucked the kids on couch before heading out of the house.

* * *

Betty woke up with a pounding headache and smell of pancakes. Grumbling to herself, she reached out for the water bottle on her nightstand. Her gaze fell beside the bottle, two advils are sitting there. She took them and fell back on the pillow, trying to get back to sleep again. The loud sound of laughter from downstairs prompted her to sit up straight. She never heard any cheerful noise in this house since she came back. Or maybe even before that. She grabbed her phone and tiptoed down the stairs slowly to find Jughead making pancakes in their kitchen. Her mother is setting the breakfast table, with a smile on her lips. Sarah is pouring orange juice in a glass, also grinning happily. Noah is standing with Jughead, looks like learning how to flip a pancake from him. Noah’s flip sent one pancake flying to the ceiling and all three of them broke into hysterics. Even her mother smiled leniently.

She was almost certain at this point that she was dreaming. Maybe the margaritas still having some hangover effect like hallucination? Just on cue, her phone buzzed, it’s a message from Sean asking her if she is alright and at home, apparently the tenth message he sent her since previous night. This made her presence known to the people in kitchen and hall. Her mother greeted her with a rare smirk on her face, “Good morning, Elizabeth! Breakfast is ready.” She blinked rapidly as she reached breakfast table. Delicious looking chocolate chip pancakes are stacked on a plate. She murmured, “But the kids don’t like pancakes.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, “We like them when prepared with love.”

She snorted, turning her attention to Jughead, “What are you doing here? How do you even know my address? Did you stalk me?”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Cooper. How do you think you got home yesterday?” he flashed her a smug grin. She remembered then, getting into the car with him. _Shit_. She just hoped she did not humiliate herself in front of him.

“By the way, your book collection is fascinating, specially the mystery novels.” He continued in a cheery voice. She gritted her teeth. His books are quite on display there. _He knows that._

“Okay, you drove me home yesterday. What are you doing here today?” she asked annoyed.

“Damn Cooper! You are not rude at all!” he said flipping another pancake with expert’s ease. Alice intervened, tone mildly chiding, “You left your purse at the party yesterday, young lady. He was kind enough to bring it back.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering how on earth he managed to warm his way to her nephew and niece, even her mother. Her phone buzzed with another message from Sean. She grunted as she typed a quick reply. She was in no mood for conversation with absolutely anyone. She deserved to have a quiet Sunday. But no, Jughead Jones decided to waltz in and charm everyone in her household, except her. She grabbed a pancake and shoved into her mouth. _Boy, this is so good!_ She almost moaned at the taste, but changed her expression when saw Jughead’s amused look. He did not say anything about that, but asked instead, “We are going for bowling. You want to join?”

“ _We_?” she questioned almost choking on her food. Noah scoffed, “Yeah. Me, Sarah and Jug. Duh.”

“Ronnie and Archie will join us there”, Jughead quickly supplied looking at her mortified face.

When Alice went inside to help choose the kid’s outfits for today’s outing, she turned to him and flatly asked, “So, did I embarrass myself yesterday?”

He pretended to think before answering, “Well, you called me a perfect gentleman, if that’s what you mean.”

She buried her face in her palms, “Oh my God! Any more stupid things?”

“And you called me handsome.”

“Ugh! Anything else?”

“Hmm, let me think. Oh yes. You promised me a whole night of mind-blowing sex.”

Her head jerked up in shock, “Huh…” Her tone changed seeing the impish grin on his face, “Now you are just being mean and a liar.”

He broke into laughter, “Worth seeing the look on your face!”

Cooped up in her childhood bedroom, Betty was reading some of her old journals. Simpler days when only worry in life was whom she would be partnered with in art class or what she would wear as Halloween costume. Reading old diaries always brings a smile to her lips. A knock at the door broke her reverie. She was surprised to see her mother standing there, a hesitant smile on her face, “May I come in, Elizabeth?”

“Of course, Mom. What’s up?” she closed her journal and set aside.

Alice came to sit on the edge of the bed, “This house feels so quiet without the kids, isn’t it?”

She also felt that. Noah and Sarah happily went to bowling with Jughead who promised to bring them back before dinner. They had lunch plan at Veronica’s diner, bowling and playing video games at arcade all day. The excitement on both the kids’ faces made Betty’s heart clench. She never had time or energy to plan something like this for them. She knew that she was being a strict and boring parent just like her own, always checking for homework, not giving permission for sleepovers, making sure they are well-fed and rested but not have baking sessions with them. But she could not help it as she did not have any other example of parenting in front of her. Fixing cars and bikes with her father was fun when she was a little girl. Then, her father left them for his new life and moved to Florida. They never heard from him again. She shut herself from the outer world more and more with time. Polly had always been her only friend, she never dated in high school, never went to prom or school dances. Today when she saw the kids happy, she realized that she was being just as controlling as her mother. She should be thankful to Jughead for today, but she did not want to see the smugness on his face. So maybe she would just keep quiet.

* * *

A series of missing cases happened in Riverdale almost a decade ago. A woman in her late twenties and two kids, a boy and a girl, both elementary school students. It was slow in station, so Betty decided to take a look at cold cases when this one caught her attention. No dead body was found, so nobody treated it as murders. They even did not have any link between the cases. The first victim was Maura Clark. Maura was a dental surgeon and she had good reputation. So, the case got quite a lot attention from the local newspaper. Police tried their best but to no avail. It was like she simply vanished from the face of the earth. Then after a couple of months, seven-year-old Rebecca Mason who was a second grader in Riverdale Elementary, did not come home from school. Within another two days, another third grader went missing on his way to home, he was a student in Southside Elementary, Ricky Fogarty. His mother who was a single parent, lodged the complaint that evening when she came back from work. Nothing was there to connect these cases. The only thing Betty could see that all the abductions happened in broad daylight but nobody noticed anything unusual, if that could even be considered as a connection.

“Who is dead today?” Jughead’s voice came breaking her attention. She frowned at him, “Is that a joke to you?”

“Nope. But I can’t deny that I like a good murder mystery”, he said offering her morning breakfast which has become a routine now. Veronica does not come visiting every day. When Betty asked her about this, she simply gave excuse of workload and how Jughead anyways goes to station in the morning.

Her first instinct was to throw the coffee at him. How could he look so unfazed with the possibility of someone being dead? But being a mystery lover herself she understood where he is coming from. She sipped her coffee while he went through the files, brows knit in concentration. She had to admit to herself that she loves this look on him, fully committed to the subject, gears turning in his head, long artistic fingers playing with a loose curl on his forehead absentmindedly. _Stop._ He is an arrogant, know-it-all, rich asshole who has zero regard for rules. She will not fall for his good looks or charm.

“Huh. This is weird to stop after third abduction. It’s almost as if they had a target”, he commented when he finished going through the files. She bit her cheek from preventing her reply to be _I thought the same_. She actually had the same thought. Instead, she pointed out, “The cases might not be related at all”.

Well, the cases had another common link. All cases were investigated by the same detective, Detective Button. But that was pretty expected as Riverdale PD never had enough detectives. So, the cases used to be piled up in one or two desks only. She knows the man very well. He was a good detective once. But he was a single father and lost his only son in a car accident when she was in high school. He absorbed himself in alcohol after that, became a broken soul, opted for voluntary retirement next year. His son, Ben was a philanderer, addict and gambler. He had to post bails for his son on numerous occasions of drug possessions and DUI. Even a few cases of sexual assaults. But in the last months of his life, Ben became sober. He even started working in the local supermarket, got himself a steady girlfriend. He was not drunk when the accident happened, the other driver was. She remembers because that was mentioned as the biggest irony in her mother’s article about the accident. She decided to pay him a visit.

As she took the keys and headed for door, Jughead followed, “where are we going?” She rolled her eyes, “ _I_ am going to meet Detective Button who was in charge of these missing cases.”

“Can I drive?” There it is. That conceited smile on his face again. She sneered, “No.”

“Why not?” he insisted. She climbed into driver’s seat and put the keys in ignition, “Because _this_ is a squad car and _you_ are not a law enforcement officer.” He shrugged as he took the passenger’s seat.

Detective Button lives at the farthest end on Northside where the railway tracks divide it from Southside, a nice small two storied house with a well-maintained lawn and white picket fences. A young woman almost Betty’s age answered the door. Betty flashed her badge and asked politely to meet the detective. She let them enter reluctantly. Once they were settled in the living area, the woman introduced herself as Emily, Detective Button’s nurse. Betty did not know that he had a cerebral attack two months back and his left side got paralyzed. Emily went inside to talk to him about having visitors. Betty glanced at Jughead. He is roaming around the room, checking out the large collection of books on a huge bookshelf. She herself was interested in looking at the books but that would be impossible now if she does not intend to engage in another of their banters.

“Betty?” an old man has been wheeled in by Emily. Betty immediately recognized Detective Button and got up from the sofa. He took her extended hand in his trembling right hand and squeezed, “You have all grown up.” His voice is a little hoarse but the words are clear, “It seems like yesterday when you used to run around in little pigtails and claimed yourself to be the next Nancy Drew.” Sound of stifled laughter came from the farthest end of room. She glared at Jughead who immediately tried to hide his laugh with a fit of cough. She looked at the old man with a warm smile, “How are you Detective Button?”

He nodded, “Ah. Good. I am good. Emily takes good care of me.”

“That’s nice to hear”, she smiled at Emily.

“Tell me young lady, what brings you here? I am assuming you are not here to ask about my health?” Mr. Button chuckled. She was a little embarrassed but she is never the one to shy away from her duties, “I need your help, Detective. I was looking into one of your cold cases and I think I would want to resume the investigation.”

His brows furrowed, “Which one?”

Betty pulled out the case files, “Actually, there were three cases but they were similar.”

As he looked at the files, a look of recognition crossed through his face. He shook his head, “I remember the cases. But I am afraid that I am of no use. I was, you know, already on my bad days.”

She figured out that much from the timeline. This was just before his retirement. He was probably at his worst then. But a small town like Riverdale never had many efficient detectives and Mr. Button, in his days, was the best. She kneeled beside him, “I understand. But if you remember anything, even if it’s small, please call me.”

She put her contact card on the table and looked at Jughead. He was examining a picture frame with such concentration that if she did not know better, she would have thought he was being completely ignorant of the conversation going on. She cleared her throat. His head whipped at her direction and she gave a small nod indicating they should leave now.

Once in the car, he asked, “Did you find something useful?” She was still thinking back to the cases. She shook her head almost absentmindedly, “No. Did you?”

“Maybe. Maybe not”, he shrugged. She squinted at him. All he did was going through the bookshelf. But she did not press the matter. Her own mind was running thousand miles a minute. There are some scattered puzzle pieces. She needs one connecting thread. It’s not possible that all these people did not have anything in common. There is something which they are missing. She cannot rely on the police reports, Detective Button himself admitted that he was at his worst at that time. Maybe she should look elsewhere.

* * *

Jughead was toying with the passport sized picture in his hand. He took it from the case file. Betty would probably be furious if she finds out. But he has every intention to return it next day. It’s just that he did not get a chance to scan it in his phone. So, he simply stole it from the file in a moment when Betty was occupied otherwise. He scans the picture in his phone and sends it to Jellybean along with another picture he scanned earlier today. He can see the similarity between these two photos, but he wants to make sure that it’s not just his brain messing up.

He has his own murder board setup in Veronica’s guest room, behind the door. He prefers it untidy, just like he used to have when he was crashing at Andrews’ garage for weeks and writing exposé for his school newspaper. A plain whiteboard with victim’s names written in marker, different colored threads tangled into each other connecting important points in time, a lot of post-it notes with scribbles which only he would understand. He has always been alone in his little investigations in high school. Several times he even got into trouble for crossing the boundaries like picking a lock to get evidence or following the wrong person. Every time it was either Archie or Veronica who would somehow get him out of the mess and warn him that this was the last time before doing it again. He would have risked everything for them too. Three of them have always been thick through years.

He particularly remembers one time when he was following their music teacher, Ms. Grundy to expose her as a child predator. None of the boys would ever admit it openly, but she was constantly targeting students in junior class to fulfil her fantasies. He followed her for a couple of weeks with his second hand camera for proof. He saw her seducing at least three different boys from his class in that time but never got a good shot. It was almost always at night, he had no chance of taking a clear picture without flash. If he had to use flash, his whole operation would have been compromised. One night he followed her right into their school’s empty music room. When he saw her kissing a very familiar redhead, he lost his cool and revealed himself even without realizing. He was shouting at their teacher who stood frozen in the room, “Stay the hell away from him.” Archie was shell shocked and tried to calm him down. He did not think that Ms. Grundy might create issues for him. It was her words against his after all. He was not supposed to be in school at night. He was the weird lonely kid and Ms. Grundy, however predatory she was, was a popular teacher. He did not have any proof. But Archie believed in him even as he claimed that he was in love with Ms. Grundy. Veronica believed in him. Both of them helped him to negotiate with their music teacher to resign and stay away from their school. Veronica threatened her with her father’s influence while Archie pleaded that it would be the best for everyone. He did not get to write his article revealing Ms. Grundy’s true nature but he was not in trouble either.

His laptop chimes breaking his haze of memories. It’s a message from Jellybean confirming his suspicions. But he knows that it is not enough evidence. He had to go back to Detective Button for more. Something more concrete than his theory.

* * *

Betty created a timeline. Timeline of events for the cases. So far, she could not find any direct connections between them. But she could find their names in different case files which she was looking at currently. Ricky’s name was mentioned in an arson incident in Southside Elementary where he was brought in for questioning. Rebecca had her name mentioned in a domestic violence case. Rebecca’s adoptive mother filed the case against her husband but withdrew the complaint later. And Maura’s name was in a car accident file. She looked at the files intensely. And there it is. There is her connection. This connection with the timeline gave her a new lead. But she needs to do some more diggings to confirm her inklings. It’s going to be a long night. She poured herself another mug of coffee and indulged in the investigation again.

She frowned at the motorcycle parked in front of Detective Button’s house. Her hunches led her here for the second time. She found Maura’s name in Ben Button’s accident case file. Maura Clark was the girlfriend of Ben. She was also in the car but only had minor injuries from the accident. She was in hospital under observation for her concussion for 24 hours and was released after that. As she suspected, it was Ben’s death anniversary when the first abduction happened. She followed the timeline. Ricky went missing just after one week of the arson case reported. Rebecca was abducted one day after her mother withdrew her case. There is a lot of coincidences. But probably the biggest among them was all these cases lead back to Detective Button either as investigating officer or as the victim’s family.

As if her mood was not already sour enough, Emily greeted her with an easy smile, “Your partner is already here.” _What the hell?_ She had to force a smile and follow her inside. Jughead is sitting lazily on the sofa, having a conversation with Mr. Button. Her jaw clenched, “Can I talk to you for a minute, Jones?”

“Hey partner!” He gave her a wink before coming over. She dragged him out of the door so that nobody can hear them, “What do you think you are doing here?”

“I was checking on Mr. Button’s health. He does not look so well, does he?” He feigned a serious expression but she could see right through him, “Cut the crap, Jones. Why are you really here?”

“I could ask you the same”, he retorted.

“No. You could not. I am a detective investigating a case and Detective Button is one of the concerned parties”, she snapped.

“And I do not need your permission to pay social visit to anyone I wish”, he replied evenly crossing his hands on his chest. She had to take deep breaths and count till ten before answering, “Fine. I created a timeline and that looks suspicious. I need to question him regarding that.”

“Suspicious means ‘Detective Button is guilty’ suspicious or …?” he stopped mid-sentence sensing her angry look, “Okay. I followed my own instinct about a photo. I saw the photo of a boy who looked a lot like Ricky in his house other day. I scanned Ricky’s photo and the photo of whom Emily referred as Ben, Detective Button’s dead son and sent them to my sister for comparison by reliable software. The facial structure matches by a large percentage.”

“You sent the photo from a case file of a now-active investigation to your sister?” she could not believe him. She knew that he never followed rules but this was extreme. She actually could arrest him for this. Then another more horrifying thought crossed her mind, “when did you scan Ricky’s photo?”

His calm demeanour faltered only a little, “I took the photo from your file and scanned it at home.”

“You _what_?” she forgot that they were standing outside a suspect’s house and she was shouting, “You _stole_ evidence from a case file? You know that’s illegal and a punishable offense, right?”

“Hey. Hey”, he raised his hands in protest, “I did not steal, I borrowed.” She was dumbfounded at his audacity. He took this opportunity to clarify his theory, “See, I saw the photo on the shelf and it looked eerily comparable to Ricky’s photo from the file. So, I scanned it. Later, when my sister confirmed that it actually was very similar, like ‘similar in molecular DNA level’ similar, my suspicion grew further. So, here is my theory…”

“Hold on”, she interrupted him impatiently, “you broke the law. You are a criminal. I am not listening to your crazy-ass theory.”

“Your loss, Cooper”, he shrugged, “But what if I tell that I was able to contact Ricky’s mother and she admitted to me that his father _was_ Ben Button?”

Her jaw fell open. She had her own theory and it still pointed in same direction though that was built on more solid evidence than his. She unlocked Ricky’s birth report, father’s name was mentioned there though Ben never claimed any parental rights. Rebecca’s adoption records were sealed but she had a strong notion that if she can find the name and reach out to her birth mother, she would confirm that her father was none other than Ben Button. He was still rambling, “I know that is not much. I still don’t know how the female victims are related in this case. But…”

She exhaled sharply, “So, what does your theory say?”

“Well, my theory says that if we dig up Ben Button’s grave, the body won’t be there.” He offered.

She was angry at him for many reasons, but she agreed with him because she had the same doubts. She even went to the length of looking for old case reports of disturbances in the neighborhood graveyard. She found three in between the period of Ben’s death and Maura’s abduction. There were no arrests made. But investigating officers were different for all three cases. She left it at that because whatever Jughead says, it is not really a feasible option to dig up Ben’s grave. At least not till they have other choices. There is no point of screaming at him or arresting him right now. So, it’s better that they exchange theories and interview Detective Button together. She nodded and offered her own findings, the matching dates, Maura Clark being the girl dating Ben and being with Ben at the time of accident. They still need to find hard proof that Rebecca was Ben’s child but that is not the toughest part.

“So, what is it? Game of a twisted mind?” Jughead asked. She shook her head, “I have no idea. What do you think he did with them?”

“Mummified them?” he offered in a light tone. She could not believe that she did not have him in handcuffs yet.

Emily peeked through the door, “Mr. Jones? It’s almost his lunch time. Would you like to continue your conversation after lunch? You are welcome to have lunch with us.” A coy smile on her lips and somewhat flirty tone made Betty roll her eyes.

She replied quickly, “We will come back after lunch, Emily. Thanks.” The woman nodded, looking a bit disappointed.

Once Emily closed the door, Jughead headed for his bike. Betty stopped him, “We have some time. We need to find hard evidence.”

“I can contact my sister to hack into the adoption agency’s database and unlock the record”, he suggested casually.

Betty grumbled, “You _do_ know that I am an officer of law, right?” He shrugged. Betty pointed out, “Even if we find that Rebecca was Ben’s child, that is still circumstantial. Just a connection to Ben Button. We need to find the corpses.”

“Or, the mummies”, he added. She cast him another hard look.

* * *

Jughead looked at Betty eating hotdog from the street vendor with her tongue stuck out a little at the corner of her mouth in between bites. An expression that he found oddly adorable. She is a smart and intelligent woman, if only a little too uptight. But her mind never ceased to amaze him from the time he met her. The way they could discuss theories and approaches about cases so comfortably, amused him.

“So, your sister is a hacker?” she asked. He chuckled, “She is not a hacker. But she has extraordinary hacking capabilities.” Looking at her hardened expression, he quickly added, “She does it only for good reasons.”

“There’s no good reason to break the law”, she muttered.

“I beg to differ, partner”, he stuffed the remaining of hotdog in his mouth, “Maybe you will see one day.”

* * *

Emily was more than pleased to have them for the second time. But she was mildly surprised when Betty stopped her from going to get Detective Button.

“We need to talk to you, Emily”, she said.

Emily looked unsure but she did not ask any questions. She did not have much knowledge about Detective Button’s earlier life or personal life. She had only been appointed for last two months after his cerebral attack. She stays there whole day with him and leaves before dinner. He likes to take dinner alone, she informed them.

“Is there any place in the house where he does not want you to go?” Betty asked cautiously. Emily looked at them in a strange way, “My movements are only limited to kitchen, hall and his bedroom. He made it very clear that he does not like anyone lurking around beyond his bedroom, say like storage room, his son’s bedroom, his attic or basement.”

“Could you maybe _show_ us the restricted areas?” Jughead tried to charm his way in.

“I will lose my job if I do so. Also, all the entrances are locked in those rooms. So, unless you have a warrant for them, I cannot do that. I am sorry officer.”, Emily said firmly.

“He is not an officer”, Betty murmured under her breath.

* * *

Betty was pacing through the squad room. Jughead playing in his phone in the back while Mantle and DeSantos both lost in thoughts.

“What do we do? What do we do?” she asked aloud continuing her stride.

“No judge will sign search warrant without hard evidence”, Joaquin confirmed, nodding. Reggie scratched his chin, “Should I try to dig some dirt on Emily so that she agrees to show us the restricted areas?”

Sound of Jughead’s chuckle cut through the room’s tension. Betty turned to him and demanded, “You find it funny, Jones?”

“We could just do the most obvious thing, guys”, he offered. She frowned at him, “What do you…”

Her eyes widened with realization as a goofy grin appeared on his face, “No. We are absolutely _not_ breaking into Button’s house.”

* * *

As per Emily’s statement, she leaves at 6:30 every evening after preparing dinner for Mr. Button. He prefers to take his dinner after she leaves. Four of them hid the car and made their way to Button’s backyard around 6:30. They heard front door opening and closing and then the sound of a car suggesting Emily is gone.

“Can’t you guys hear Detective Button crying for help inside?” Jughead chirped.

“Yeah. And I can also see how we were just strolling through the neighbourhood exchanging our life stories when the call for help came”, Joaquin mused.

“Okay. Let’s just get this over with”, Betty told uneasily, looking around.

Jughead studied the lock closely at the back door, “Mantle, do you happen to have a bobby pin?”

Reggie hissed, “Do I look like a fucking teenage girl to you?”

“Oh My God! I can’t believe I’m doing this”, Betty inhaled sharply, “out of the way, you two.”

She looked at the old styled warded lock on the door and pulled out something from her pocket. Jughead was surprised to see it’s a skeleton key, could be used to open most of these locks. As the door unlocked in a swift motion, he could not suppress his amusement, “Impressive, Cooper. Who knew you would be the one with a master key!” She quirked an eyebrow towards him, “You don’t know me, Jones. Not at all.”

Once inside, they decided to break up to check on all the locked doors. But they abandoned that plan quickly as they saw the lock open on the collapsible gate in the basement entrance. The stairs leading to basement has a ramp on side for the wheelchair. As they descended carefully, Reggie whispered, “Is it just me or the temperature dropped like it does in horror movies?” Jughead whispered back, “It’s the icy chill of the dead.”

The smell coming from the basement made everybody nauseous, Jughead was the most vulnerable one. But Betty’s glares stopped him from actually throwing up. The scene inside was a unique one, it was equally terrifying and sad. A lot of scattered scented candles on floor as well as on a six-seater old oak table. Detective Button was sitting at the head of the table laughing to himself and continuing his monologue, “No, son. You should tell us about your day first. Then we will learn about how Maura’s day went. Am I right kids?”

On his right, two skeletons of grown human beings were positioned on two chairs. The skeletons on his left were much smaller in size, evidently of children’s. He was drinking his soup from bowl and ranting. Sometime stopping as if hearing the responses from others. When he saw them, his expression turned to anger, “How dare you all disturb our family dinner?” His unclear gaze, trembling fingers, shaking voice suggested that he was not in a sane state of mind. Who knows how long this “family dinner” tradition was going on. Betty was the first one to recover. She walked towards the detective and cuffed him while calmly listing his rights. He was screaming at the top of his voice cursing everyone for ruining their perfect family moment. Jughead felt sorry for the old man when he turned to the table with glassy eyes and promised, “Don’t worry son. I will be back in no time. You enjoy your dinner.”

Betty sighed heavily. They had all the evidence. She is not confirmed yet his delusion started immediately after his son’s death or with the death anniversary trigger when these abductions and killings happened. But all the victims knew him on personal level. So, they might have just gotten into his car voluntarily. She needs to work on what happened afterwards. Did he kill them instantly or he tried to impose his delusion on them and start a family? Maybe when they refused to comply, he killed them. Maybe he killed them to make sure that they could not leave him by accident like his son. A professional profiler would be able to throw some light on that. But the poor soul was hurting and he made the connections to relate all of them to his son one by one. He must have looked at Ricky and Rebecca’s files when he worked on their cases. Maura was supposed to be Ben’s partner before everything went wrong. Ricky was Ben’s son and Rebecca was most probably Ben’s daughter whom her biological mother put up for adoption. Maybe he always envisioned a complete family just like this. Being a single father, he never had a proper family. He could not take Ben’s death just when everything was going as planned. Added to his grief, alcoholism might have played a major role in his impulsions.

“Well, candle light dinner in the room of horrors. Should I take a picture?” Jughead quipped. Betty tilted her head towards him, “Do you want me to put handcuffs on _you_ too?”

“Only if that ends in your bed, partner”, he winked at her before walking out. She shook her head actively to get rid of all the unholy thoughts clouding her mind at the mention of him in a handcuff in her bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new mystery. A kidnapping case. And well, Betty's love life.

It’s been two months since Jughead has settled in Riverdale. Veronica refused to let him stay in a hotel suite, so Lodge guest room has become his temporary residence. His writing has been progressing smoothly and he handed Cheryl the draft for first few chapters already. With both him and Veronica staying in Riverdale, Archie’s visits have become more frequent. He drives down here for most of the weekends.

He has been a silent observer for all his life. He prefers to observe people for long time and know them from a distance first before actually striking a real conversation. Observing Betty has become his new favourite pastime. When there are no urgent cases to look into, she would concentrate on some old files, or complete the paperwork for pending cases or read some books. He loves to watch her from across her desk. How her tongue sticks out at the corner of her mouth when she is concentrating on something. How she likes her coffee black and wrinkles her nose if it’s not satisfactory. How she tucks loose strands of hairs behind her ears while talking. And how she changes into something nice on the Fridays Sean comes to pick her up.

Yeah. She is still going out with the same guy she brought to Veronica’s party as her date. He thinks sometimes if the guy is a robot. He comes with the same smiley expression on his face every time, same rose bouquet, same time like clockwork. Every time anyone asked Betty about their plan, she mentions one restaurant name or another for dinner. Occasionally, they would watch a very predictable romantic movie at the Bijou. 

“Is not it boring?” he asked once. She fixated him with a death glare and replied, “It’s nice and safe.”

“And boring”, he commented. But she ignored him. He never asked why on earth she wants safe. She is a goddamn detective. He has watched her shooting guns in shooting range like a pro. He has seen her taking down an armed perp with all kind of coolness. Seeing badass Betty actually turns him on. He will never understand how Sean could only take her to movies and dinner dates. If it were him, he would rather have taken a long walk along Sweetwater river with her under full moon talking about everything and nothing at once. Watch some serial killer documentary in Netflix while making Pizza at home. He would go on an unplanned trip with her on the back of his motorcycle away from this town. He would take her to his favourite bookshop in New York, he can imagine how her eyes would light up seeing the vast collection of books piled in every corner of that small shop, how she would sniffle the pages in old books.

Well, it’s not him. So, no point in making stupid plans.

* * *

Betty thinks that she is going steady with Sean. They have been on five or six dates till now. He is predictable and well-mannered. She likes that. She fears the rush of adrenaline in her veins when she thinks of doing something wild, breaking some boundaries, taking a crazy decision. Sean is almost like a timetable. He will arrive with red roses at her station, take her to romantic dinner dates, give compliment on her dress, drive her home after dinner and give a goodnight kiss. That is nice, right?

As far as her family is concerned, Sarah and Noah continue disliking him but they won’t say a word in front of him. Her mother neither approves nor insults him. It seems that they all are in a peaceful arrangement. Her work has been quiet for a few days now. So, she was concentrating more on the unfinished paper works from Mantle and DeSantos’s cases. Jughead comes to station with her breakfast every day. But he spends most of the time playing chess with Joaquin or chitchatting with Reggie. Sometimes he will throw teasing comments to irritate her. Until the next case comes, she does not need to worry about him. Veronica told her that he has already finished some chapters for his next book, she wonders if she is really the next lead character of his book. Of course, she keeps that curiosity to herself.

It was a slight shock when that day Veronica’s cheery voice announced her presence with her morning coffee at the station. Betty was caught off-guard and blurted out, “What are you doing here, V?”

Her friend wore a thoughtful expression, “Let me see, you are disappointed because you expected Dr. Strange?” Joaquin’s quiet laughter came from his desk. Reggie scowled mildly at Veronica. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“I am happy to see you”, she managed somehow. Veronica placed the coffee on her desk and took a sip from her own, “Likewise, B.”

Curiosity was bubbling up inside her to know where Jughead is. Is he not well? Did he go to New York for some work? Veronica was eyeing her with amusement. She could not exactly ask her. To her rescue, Joaquin asked, “Where is our Mr. Mystery-man anyways?”

“Oh. He had some personal work”, Veronica replied coolly. Betty squinted at her. She knows better. If it was something like that, Veronica would have talked about it non-stop by now, detailing what kind of personal emergency resulted in his absence.

“Well, good for him that we don’t have any interesting case today”, Reggie piped in. Veronica nodded but kept her gaze fixated on Betty, “So, Bettykins. What’s up?”

“Good. All good. I am seeing Sean. He is a good man”, Betty does not know why she started rambling about Sean. Normally she would have answered her friend’s question with office updates and any news about her family. But Veronica did not say anything. After a while, she whispered, “Can you keep a secret?”

She was on the edge in a second. Is it about Jughead? Is he in trouble?

“You can trust me, V”, she assured. Veronica came closer to her as if sharing some privileged information, “It’s Jug’s birthday.”

She stared at her friend open-mouthed, not really sure how to respond to that. Sensing her question, Veronica continued, “He hates this day. He spends this day holed up in his room, playing video games with Archie, not talking to anyone.”

“Oh”, she could not think of another response. She wanted to ask why but that seemed like prying into his personal life. So, she simply nodded. Veronica warned her, “Do not tell him that I told you this.”

She made a zipping gesture with her fingers on the lips.

She decided to call him at lunch after realizing that she has spent most of the morning staring at his empty chair. He picked up after third ring, “Did you miss me, Cooper?”

She rolled her eyes, “You wish! Speaking of wishes, I think a birthday wish is due from my end.”

His sigh was audible, “Did Ronnie tell you?”

“Nope”, she smiled, “I am a cop, Jones. How could you think I did not run a full background check on you?”

“Fair enough”, he chuckled, “Thanks. But I would appreciate if you keep this information to yourself. I am not very fond of this particular day.”

“Why is that? Your girlfriend dumped you on your birthday?” she tried to sound playful. But she wanted to know badly how could someone hate their birthday so much.

“More like my parents blessed me with traumatic childhood memories”, his voice was full of sarcasm but she could hear the pain behind it.

She knew a part of his childhood when he told the story to Will during Jason murder case, though he never admitted it as his own. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to sit by his side and hold his hand. She wanted to tell him that she cared and she would listen to him if he decides to open up. The thought terrified her. She never had this urge to connect to anyone in past. The relationship with her ex was mostly sexual and abusive from his end. She is comfortable with Sean but she never felt this longing to be close with him or talk to him non-stop or even sit in silence with him for hours. She realized how she missed Jughead’s presence around her this morning, how she was itching to be engaged in one of their daily banters. She ended the call abruptly because she was scared out of her mind. She has never been the vulnerable one. She does not know where this is coming from now. But she knows that she is strong enough to overcome it. Maybe it was good that he did not come today. He has just become a habit for her. So, not having him around was weird and made her feel all these stupid emotions. It will go away once he goes back to New York.

* * *

After two days of Jughead’s birthday, Betty got an unexpected visitor in her office. It was a young intern from her mother’s newspaper, Diana. She has just finished her college and started working for Riverdale Register. She came to Betty with an old case. She came with all the old newspaper clippings organized in her file. It’s the case of her mother’s death which had been ruled out as a random act of violence and no one was taken into custody. But she believes that it was foul play. Her mother never took that route to home where her body was found. So, she thinks that the shooting was not a result of gang violence, but a targeted murder. Her mother, Dorothy, was a lawyer in a legal clinic, doing pro bono work, providing free legal services for under-privileged people. Betty has seen many cases just like this where unconvinced familied of victims demanded a thorough investigation even if the case was actually closed successfully. But Diana had a fire in her eyes, a confidence which did not match a grief-stricken daughter, more like a determined professional. There were no big new cases. So, she decided to take a look at the papers and dig up the case file.

She was in the old storage room when she heard Jughead at the door, “Whoa! This place is like a breeding home for bacteria.” She sighed. He was not wrong. The whole room was full of dust and mites. She thought that she even saw a couple of mice lurking around the corners. The files were scattered all over the racks, not maintaining any order. She had to clean each rack of files before going through them.

“What are you doing here, Jones?” she continued looking for the particular file. He chimed, “Well, you are my partner. So, I wanted to help you.”

She did not roll her eyes or try to correct him today. The room has a large collection of records, she could use some help. “Try looking for a file labelled Dorothy Miller. Start searching from the other end, I will continue here, we will meet in the middle.” She instructed. He gave a thumbs up, “Why are we looking for her?” She briefed her discussion with Diana. He walked over to the other end of the room with a thoughtful nod, “A covered up murder. Best day in Riverdale ever.”

Soon, the silence of the room got interrupted with his frequent coughing fits. She shouted over the room, “What happened? Your nicotine-coated lungs gave up?”

“This is the dust of a decade, Cooper”, he replied gesturing around the room, “how do you expect any lungs to survive this?”

An hour later, they met in the middle. Both covered in dust more or less. His face red from the mites. Her hair in a mess tangled with cobwebs. But the file in question was still not discovered. They went through the last rack together, with complaints from him like “Ouch! you stepped on my foot” and “Your hair is tingling in my nose.”

However, there was no sign of their file even in the last rack. She exhaled sharply. The case was almost fifteen years old. But as per her knowledge, this file room held all the case files going back to thirty years at least.

“Let’s go back to the paper clippings”, she suggested. She is not the one to give up. She would get to the bottom of it, cover up or not.

Once back at their shared desk, she started going over the news articles again. He also took some of the stack and indulged himself. She was oblivious of how much time passed, or how bad is the mess in her hair, or how her office attire is covered in dirt. She could not find much except that one of the clippings mentioned her maiden name as “Reid”, she used her maiden name in the professional world. She asked Jughead, “Maybe we should check for Dorothy Reid?”

“I’m not going back to that death trap”, he protested immediately. She was about to come back with a snarky comment when Sean appeared with a bunch of red roses at the entrance like an alarm clock.

“Oh. I see, it’s six already”, Joaquin tried to hide the amusement in his voice and failed. Jughead snickered. Reggie grumbled something inaudible. Betty looked at her colleagues and then at herself blankly. She totally forgot that it was a Friday and she had a date with Sean. He came wearing the same smile like each time and commented as if on record, “Your dress looks beautiful”. Jughead looked her up and down in the dirty shirt and wrinkled trousers and mouthed, “wow!”

Sean stopped for a moment, then asked, unsure, “What happened to your hair, baby?” She always felt a bit unnerved with his terms of endearment, specially when he used them only in front of her colleagues. She did not know if he wanted to show them that they were a couple or it was his insecurity about her workplace in general. But this did not go unnoticed by her co-workers who were already having a hard time suppressing their laughter. She ignored them all, combing her hand through her messy ponytail, “Um. I think we need to cancel it today. I need to clear up the desk and get ready. I’m so sorry, Sean.”

“No, no. Carry on to your, I am sure, very fascinating dinner date. I will clean up your desk”, Jughead offered. She tried to blow him away with one stern look but Sean’s face lit up, “Thank you so much, Jug-head.”

* * *

“Cooper, what are you working on?”

Betty looked up to see Sheriff Keller wearing a frown. They have been trying to look for the related files in Dorothy Miller case for last three days but with no avail. She asked the document clerk who is responsible to take care of the police files. He does not know anything. There is no record of the file being checked out by anyone. It is an old case, but she could find files from older cases, except this one. There is no record of this case available either digitally or physically. News only mentioned the case being taken up and being closed a gang violence by Riverdale PD, nowhere the investigating officer’s name was mentioned.

She explained about the case to the Sheriff whose disapproving expression only became more intense. He nodded gruffly, “That was closed. Why are you chasing it after 15 years?” She, for some reason, chose not to mention about Diana but told him that these old paper clippings in her house caught her attention. She could tell that Jughead was dying to ask why she is lying. She prayed for him to be silent and he was. Sheriff Keller did not look very convinced yet, but he did not press the matter, “Well, it seems we have an emergency. So, you all better join me in the squad room.”

A missing child is always an emergency situation. When the missing kid is the only daughter of Riverdale High’s principal Mr. Honey, it is all hands on deck. Mr. Honey’s daughter Susan is a lovely eight years old. Betty has met her on the Christmas cookie sales she takes part in. It was an initiative started by Mr. Honey’s wife. All the interested kids bake and sell cookies to the people in Riverdale, the money is utilized to buy clothes and gifts for people who cannot afford new clothes in Christmas. As soon as they were briefed on the incident, all four of them hopped on the squad car and set for Mr. Honey’s house. Susan slept in her room. Mr. Honey and his wife went to visit his mother as they got a call from Seaside General hospital that the elderly woman had a heart attack in the middle of night. They left in a hurry, but Susan’s babysitter for the night, Patricia was at the house. She was asleep in the room adjacent to Susan’s. When the couple returned today morning, they found front door open, the door of Susan’s room was also ajar, Patricia lying unconscious on the floor and there was no sign of Susan. They had to admit Patricia in hospital and the doctors found a head wound causing her to black out. She is still unconscious. But even after she wakes up, it’s unlikely that she would be able to tell much.

The team reached at Mr. Honey’s residence in silence. Every one of them lost in their own thoughts. Both Susan’s parents are at complete shocked state. Her mother kept crying whenever she tried to open her mouth. Her father is a strong person, as Betty knows from her high school days, but he is also totally broken today. Susan’s room is adjacent to Patricia’s small cabin. The window in their hall is broken. There are a lot of signs of struggle. There is a knocked down brass vase. A smashed lamp just outside Susan’s room. Most probably Patricia came to check on the girl at night because the door connecting both rooms was open when Susan’s parents came home.

Reggie was inside taking statements. Betty started circling the perimeter of the house. It is a big house, secluded from other houses in the neighbourhood. There is a vegetable garden in the back and a huge flower garden in the front. They hoped to have some prints on the broken windowsill or on the door knob. Joaquin was bagging the broken glass pieces to be sent to the lab for prints. He suddenly exclaimed, “What the fuck?” Both Jughead and Betty turned to him, startled. He extended his hand wordlessly to show them the glass pieces he gathered. It was not only the shattered glass from the window. There were a number of shards of coloured glass, opaque brown. Jughead frowned at them. The glasses somehow look familiar to him, but he cannot remember where he saw that. Betty shook her head and asked Joaquin to put the coloured glasses in a separate evidence bag.

* * *

“No one they can suspect”, Reggie confirmed. He took the statements of both parents. They were devastated but they firmly said that they did not have any enemies whom they can think of. Susan’s mother is a nurse in Riverdale General, a very kind and generous woman. Mr. Honey is a strict principal but he cares for his students. Susan is a well-loved kid. But only thing that came out in their statements that worried all of them immensely was the fact that Susan is a diabetic patient. She needs her insulin in regular interval. Whoever took her, they did not take her insulin pump.

“Can the lab process for fingerprints faster? Statistics shows that 75% of abducted children are gone after first 3 hours and virtually all of them are dead after 24 hours”, Jughead’s impatience was clear in his voice.

None of them was doing any better, child abduction cases put everyone on edge. “Thanks. Now we feel a lot more hopeful knowing the statistics,” Reggie snapped.

Betty knows that keeping your mind focussed is the most important thing in these situations. _You need to think by your head and avoid getting distracted by your heart_. She put a hand on Reggie’s back and assured both men firmly, “We will find her.”

Joaquin rushed into the squad room, “Okay. We instructed all medical stores to notify us about any purchase of insulin. Also, spoke to the lab to speed up the process. Anything else, Betty?”

“Thanks, Quin. That would do”, she nodded.

She was trying to jot down every point they have come across till now when her phone rang. It was the officer from hospital, Patricia is awake now. She grabbed her keys and as soon as she stepped out of the office, she saw Jughead smoking at the side of entrance. She knew that it is his coping mechanism. Just like her digging nails on her palms. Still she could not resist saying, “Hate to break your smoke party, Jones. But we are going to the hospital.”

Patricia is a student of Junior year in Riverdale High. She respects Susan’s parents and loves the little girl. She cried relentlessly knowing that the kidnappers did not take Susan’s insulin. “Please find her, officer, she is like my sister”, were her only words in between sobs. Betty tried to assure her to her best but the poor girl was a wreck. She had mild concussion which resulted in her jumbled-up memories of last night. Finally, when she calmed down a little, Betty had to start the questioning.

“I heard the noise of glass breaking and woke up. But at first, I thought maybe I heard wrong. Then after sometime I heard voices.”

“More than one voice? The voices were coming from Susan’s room?” Betty interrupted.

“I don’t know… Yes. More than one voice. When I walked into Susan’s room, it was dark, she was struggling with someone. Then everything went black.”

“Did you by any chance recognize the voices? Or, understood what they were saying?”

Patricia shook her head, “No.”

“Well, now we know it was a team. Great”, Betty muttered to herself. They were running out of time. The lab report came on the items. Only a few bigger glass pieces have partial print which was not enough to run a comparison. The brass vase had a clear print, the print was not in database. But the same print was there on the front door handle. The vase was probably used to hit Patricia. She was little relieved knowing that it was not any known sexual predator, but on the other hand they had no lead.

“Wait, did they find trace amount of alcohol on some of the glasses?” Reggie read out the latest findings.

Suddenly, Jughead leapt on his feet, “Maple-based rum!” All three detectives looked at him startled. He clarified, “The brown tainted glass pieces. Only Ronnie’s speakeasy uses that specific coloured bottle for their rum.”

* * *

Within the next hour, they had all surveillance footage from Veronica’s establishment for last twenty four hours. Nobody would have brought a rum bottle with them while executing a kidnapping. So, whoever took Susan, must have brought the bottle last evening only. They divided the recordings among themselves to go through hours of recordings. Mostly it was only regulars enjoying a drink or two on the bar. Occasionally a few high school students trying to get their hands on alcohol only to be warned by the overly alert bartender Sweet Pea. After looking through half of her recordings, Betty found something interesting. It was a little before midnight of last night. Two boys came to the bar, one is definitely underage but the other one looked older. He flashed his identity card to Sweet Pea who nodded and handed him a bottle of famous Lodge Maple Rum. They left with the bottle. That could be it. Or, maybe others found something else. She paused her video and looked at everyone. All are engrossed in the video feeds. She announced, “Guys, I found something.” Jughead looked up from a stack of papers which was the sales record from Speakeasy for last 24 hours. He confirmed, “Only three pieces of bottled rum were sold in that timeframe.”

Joaquin held up his hand, “One bottle I already traced back to Mayor McCoy’s driver, most probably he was picking it up for the Mayor herself.”

Betty nodded, “We should keep on looking for the third purchase. But I have a strong suspicion that the purchase I found is the one we are looking for.”

They could easily rule out the third purchase as it was an elderly man. It turned out that Veronica’s establishment does not keep the record of personal details of the buyer. The particular purchase was paid in cash. Sweet Pea obviously does not remember the name of the buyer from a tiny moment of seeing the age proof. The only option for them was to get the best angle of the buyer’s face and ask Susan’s parents if they know the person. If that returns negative results, they would have to go back to Patricia, then maybe just keep on asking around. If the boys are from Riverdale, someone will surely identify them.

Susan’s mother could not recognize the photo but Mr. Honey looked at it intensely for a long time, “I think I know this boy. But I cannot remember. Maybe he was a student of mine? If I get the name I can remember. But with this angle of face, I cannot…”

Betty felt sorry for the man, who is otherwise known as uptight and hard principal, as he kept shaking his head, frustrated and rambling. But she was hopeful because now, they have a lead. They have a photo of the suspect. First thing she did was to put a BOLO on his face across Riverdale and all neighbouring towns and setup a hotline to receive any tips. Within minutes, they were swamped with calls in the hotline. Most of them were bogus. But after waiting for a couple of hours, one call caught their attention. It was from a pharmacy in Greendale border. The caller told that they did not see the guy whose photo was being circulated, but another guy who looked very similar to him. This guy was asking for insulin but did not have a prescription. The kid looked lost and terrified and left without buying anything when questioned further.

They set out for Greendale at once. Reggie already informed Greendale Police about the same. They assured to be there as soon as possible. They still did not have an address. But to their luck, a customer in the drugstore identified the photo as Dean, a guy who works in a garage nearby. The man complained that Dean was high half of the time while working in the garage, he once ruined his favourite RV and he threatened to file a formal complaint against him. “Of course, I did not file any complaint when I came to know that poor guy has to take care of his brother”, he concluded.

The owner in the garage easily identified Dean but told that he did not work there anymore. He had to fire him because of all the complaints from different customers. But he did have his last known address which was in Riverdale.

“Do not leave the car”, Betty warned Jughead. He blinked like he could not understand what was going on. She clarified, “This can get ugly. We don’t know if they have any weapon.” He was clearly not convinced. But sensing her mood, he did not argue. Three of them went up the stairs to the apartment listed as the last address for Dean Emery. They could hear shouting from outside the door but could not make out the words. Reggie knocked on the door heavily, “Police! Open up.” There was noise of something heavy being knocked down. Betty gestured Reggie who immediately kicked the door open. They hurried inside, holding guns only to find an injured kid on the ground and a tied up and passed out Susan on a chair. There was a sound on the fire escape. Joaquin nodded and started untying the little girl, “Go. I will take care of the kids.” She bolted after the fleeing boy through fire escape, Reggie following closely. Dean looked like a skinny guy but he was good at running, he ran through the back alley passing by their parked squad car.

* * *

Jughead played games in his mobile for only a couple of minutes before he got bored and started messing with the radio in the car. When he heard weird noises, he peeked through the rolled down window to see Betty chasing a guy. Without thinking he opened the car door with full force as the boy was running past the car. The door hit him square in the jaw and he fell down. Betty covered the distance in no time and grabbed the guy’s hands in the back, cuffing him instantly.

“Did I just take down the perp?” Jughead was clearly impressed with himself.

“Easy there, James Bond”, Betty told but she could not hide her smile.

Joaquin already called an ambulance and paramedics arrived shortly to attend to unconscious Susan and mildly injured Derek who tried to stop his elder brother and convince him to turn themselves in only to get beaten by Dean. Dean refused to talk to them. It was Derek who told them that it was an impulsive abduction.

Derek is a student in Greendale High but Dean was Riverdale High student a few years back. Their parents were alive then. Dean was a good kid, maintained good grades. But in his junior year, their father died in a car accident. Their mother tried to feed the family taking odd jobs for six more months before abandoning the boys and leaving with another man. After that, Dean was a changed person. He got involved in a Southside gang, started selling drugs for money. Mr. Honey expelled him and turned him in to Police when he was found with cocaine in his bag. He went to juvie with the charge for possession and intent to distribute. Derek landed in a foster care in Greendale. But once Dean turned 18 and was out of juvie, he showed up at Derek’s foster parent’s home. Since then, two brothers would hang out occasionally in Dean’s apartment. But Derek knew that he was not the same brother who went to Riverdale High, who used to play soccer and who would never think of hurting a fly. Then yesterday, it was Dean’s twentieth birthday, he picked Derek up from school and proposed to have a party of their own. They went to the arcade, played some games, had dinner. Then Dean told that he has got money from some recent business deal, so he would like to celebrate with Riverdale’s most expensive rum. They picked up the bottle and was on their way to home when they saw Mr. and Mrs. Honey to drive out from their house at midnight. Dean was already high on drugs and he finished the bottle standing outside Mr. Honey’s residence. It was an impulsive decision on Dean’s end to break into the house and trash the house. He wanted to take revenge on Mr. Honey for ruining his life. Derek did not even have the chance to protest. When Dean kicked and smashed a lamp in the hall, little Susan woke up and came out of her room. Dean covered her mouth and dragged her back in the room. She kept fighting. Derek thinks that at some point he started yelling at his brother because then another girl came to Susan’s room. Derek panicked and hit her with the first thing he could grab. It was a brass vase. After that Derek just pulled Dean out of the house through front door, but Susan was already unconscious and Dean carried her with them. Probably he thought that it would be a better revenge than trashing Mr. Honey’s house. In the morning Susan woke up but she was shaking and sweating profusely. Then they learnt that she needed her insulin. Dean did not care but Derek tried to get it. He knew that nearby pharmacies would know him and he can’t ask for insulin there. So, he went to the nearest store in Greendale.

The case was closed. Both Susan and Patricia were in much better state of health now. Betty requested DA if they could reduce Derek’s sentence only to community services, that might stop him to become another Dean. Dean would now face more serious charges though. But maybe, it would all turn out okay.

* * *

It was another Friday dinner with Sean. This was a new diner in Greendale. It had romantic arrangements for couples. Their table had candle light settings and rose petal decorations in shape of a heart. He was talking animatedly about his new contract for a big project. Betty found herself being spaced out thinking about the Dorothy case. They still were nowhere near finding the file. She even contacted her NYPD connections to see if they could help somehow. But it seems every trace of that case has been erased. It was only old newspaper cuttings and a daughter’s firm belief. She has no idea how she is supposed to start working on that case. But she could not let it go either. Something in her gut kept telling her that she needed to pursue this. Sean’s voice broke through her thoughts, “Betty? Is everything okay?” She immediately felt guilty. He is trying to have a romantic evening with her and her mind can’t take a break from murders and mayhems. But as she put on a sweet smile, she could see two guys in mask walking through the door, pointing guns. Her instinct took over as she shouted, “Everybody get down!!”

Her off-duty gun was in her purse. The two men got startled with her screaming and she took the opportunity to pull her firearm out and point at them. “Stay under the table”, she instructed Sean firmly who went white with shock. All the customers were already on floor. The receptionist was frozen in her seat. Other staffs did not come out of kitchen or back area. One of the masked men pulled his trigger and Betty ducked. It shattered a floor lamp. Betty did not want to discharge her weapon, but it looked like these guys also did not want to engage in a fire battle. They looked at each other and ran out of the door. She sprinted after them holding her gun steady. While dashing through the door, she called out, “Call 911.” Her mind barely registered Sean’s voice calling her name. She lost them after a while. She hurried back to see the damage. It was not much materially. But all the people in the diner were distressed. The manager thanked her again and again for saving everybody. Although she suspected that this was an attempted robbery and the guys did not have any intention to actually hurt anyone, she did not mention that. She asked the manager to lodge a formal complaint. Somebody already called 911. The police car came in sight within few minutes. She briefed the officer everything. Then, he became busy taking statements from others.

Sean was still on the floor, with a wary expression on his face. She helped him up, “Are you alright?” He shook his head and offered a faint smile, “Yeah. I will be. So, you chased them, huh?” She shrugged, “Comes with the job, I guess.” He nodded vaguely.

* * *

Jughead was lost in his writing. His novel is going better than expected. Even Cheryl, who is very hard to please, is happy with the pace. He did not care to open the door when he heard the first knock. Then there was another knock. Soon, it turned to loud poundings. He groaned. Veronica and Archie went to celebrate their 10-year anniversary of first official date. So, he was alone at home. He put on his t-shirt and headed for the door.

Betty Cooper, dressed in a mustard colour shirt and black leather skirt, was the last person he expected to see on the other side of the door. Her hair is in loose curls. Plump pink lips shining from her lip gloss. He stood there dumbfounded for a while just taking her in. Then first words out from his mouth were, “Veronica is not home.”

She looked at him through her long eyelashes, big green eyes glassy with teardrops. She leaned against the doorframe and whispered, “He dumped me.”

First, he thought that he did not hear it properly, “What?” She sighed heavily and repeated, “Sean dumped me because I am a cop.”

He could not control himself before replying, “Wow! He is dumber than he looks. I mean he _did_ pick you up from a police station every time, how could he not figure it out sooner?”

She glared at him but did not respond. “What? Too soon?” He ushered her inside, “Okay. Let’s see. Ronnie has the finest wine and the costliest ice creams stacked. What would you prefer?”

She placed her purse on the centre table and settled herself on the plush sofa, “Wine would be perfect, thanks.”

He came back with two glasses, wine for her, soda for himself. She looked at him questioningly. He took a sip of his soda, “Benefits of having a recovering addict in family.”

He did not ask anything about the breakup. But she wanted to share with him. So, she told him everything while finishing her wine, starting from last evening’s attempted robbery to Sean’s proposal to have dinner today as yesterday’s date was ruined, how he showed up at her house with the usual red rose bouquet, how he acted normal enough during their dinner, how he told her finally that he could not be with her because her job was too risky.

“I mean, I knew that you were a cop. But I never saw you in action before. Please don’t take it in a wrong way but I would like our kids to have their mother around for a longer time”, were his exact words. She ended her story with a disgusted grunt, “Argh! Why all men are assholes?”

“Hey!” Jughead protested while fidgeting with the tv remote, “All men are not assholes.”

“I just had a breakup. Would it kill you to agree with me for once?” she swatted his hand. He bumped her shoulder with his own, “Okay, but just because you are upset.”

“I am never going to have a normal relationship in my life”, she declared resting her head on the sofa’s backrest. “Normal is boring”, he replied.

“No, Jug. You don’t understand. This job, it destroys every relationship.”

“Okay. So quit your job and start a normal relationship. Will that make you happy?”

She thought for a moment before replying, “No. I love my job. I love chasing perps and putting bad guys behind the bars.”

“Then there’s your answer”, he settled in the sofa more comfortably, “You just need to find the person who admires you for who you are.”

“Please don’t tell me that you believe in crap like there’s someone out there for every one”, she eyed him suspiciously.

He laughed, “What I believe is that it’s better to believe in good people than lose faith over the bad ones.”

“Wow! I never thought of you as the philosopher one,” she arched an eyebrow towards him.

“You don’t know me, Betts. Not at all”, he winked at her.

“Betts? That’s a new one”, she mused.

“What? Nobody ever called you that? Well, their loss”, he responded.

Her eyes started drooping. Her mind was a lot lighter. She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled to his side. His body warmth giving perfect protection against the chilled room. He exhaled sharply but did not move. When her breathing became deep and even, he ran his fingers gently through her golden hair, caressed her cheek lightly. One of her hands came to rest on his stomach. He did not want to disturb her sleep. He sat there, feeling content. Today, he could see Betty Cooper with her guard down, maybe not fully, but at least a little. _It’s a start_ , he thought. He wanted to show her his own vulnerable side. How his fear takes over whenever anything in his life is going in the right direction. His confident, charming, flirting personality is a facade that he wears like his second skin. But deep down in his heart, still that angsty, loner teenage boy screams loudly. He is afraid to get hurt again. He is afraid of rejection. He is afraid of any and every nice thing that happen to him. He is scared to receive them because that broody teenager still thinks that he will lose them, he is not worth it, it all will fade away like a dream. He pushes that voice in the back of his mind in daily life. But there are some days, when it feels like too much to bear by himself. Maybe, some day he can open himself to her. He wants that.

It was when he heard the door, he untangled himself carefully from her. Veronica’s eyes went wide when she saw Betty lying on the sofa. He whispered, “She was upset. So, I let her crash here.” Veronica suppressed a chuckle, “Of course!”

As he went inside to get a blanket for Betty, Veronica turned to Archie and murmured with excitement, “Oh, he is so whipped! Kev owes me fifty bucks now.”

Archie was shocked, “You betted on whether Jug will fall for Betty or not?”

“No, silly”, she corrected him, “we just kept the bet on when. None of us had any doubt that it would happen.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have updated the tags for this chapter. Please read the tags before you read the chapter.  
> Hope you like it.  
> Please let me know in comments what you think. :)

Cooper women were at war. Both of them being equally stubborn, were not ready to back down. Alice was adamant that her daughter should stop chasing murderers and dodging bullets and join the newspaper with her. Her logic was simple enough. Betty joined the academy to be away from Riverdale, but now when she is already back, why can’t she just quit this goddamn job and start helping her mother? Betty, on the other hand, was resolute about not being under her mother’s influence anymore. Yes, when she started in the academy, it was mostly to oppose her mother and shut down any discussion of her return to home. But now it has become her passion. She has always loved playing Nancy Drew. Even as a journalist, she used to chase criminals to write her articles. Now she can do that with a gun and a badge. Yes, she hates Riverdale but why she should quit her dream? Maybe one day they all could just go back to New York and she can again join NYPD doing greater works. Noah was sitting on the sofa, watching the fight with a horrified expression on his face. Sarah retired to her room as soon as the argument started. Betty knew that this was not a very healthy environment for the kids. But they anyways hate her, she would not let her mother use the kids as an excuse to control Betty.

* * *

“I need your help, bro”, Archie walked into Jughead’s room. He was typing away at full speed in his laptop. So, he replied without looking up, “Sure.” But when Archie went on one knee and extended his hand holding a velvet box, he jumped up on his feet at once.

“Arch, I love you, I do. But not in _that_ way”, he exclaimed.

As always, Archie was clueless, “Jug, I just need your help in proposing Ronnie.”

“Why on earth would you give me a heart attack by going on one knee?” he said slumping back to his chair. His best friend gave his best puppy eyes saying that he needed practice to propose his girlfriend of ten years. For the next hour, it was Archie trying to come up with his best proposing ideas and failing miserably. Jughead started thinking if he should write a one-page letter and give it to Archie to just read it out loud for Ronnie.

For the millionth time in the evening, Archie got down on one knee and held out his hand with the open velvet box. The ring was elegant and beautiful, looked like custom made just for Veronica to match her unique style. Archie took a deep breath, closed his eyes. Jughead was standing awkwardly. His mind was still full of ideas about his novel. He is extra cautious with his writings now as Betty is the lead character. He does not want the readers to give any impression that she is boring, at the same time he wants to portray how serious she is in her job.

Archie started in his sincerest voice, “Veronica Cecilia Lodge, will you…”

A squealing Veronica ran into the room, almost knocking down both the friends in that process, “oh My God! Yes. Yes. Yes.”

That was unexpected. Anybody who knows Veronica would assume that she would want an extravagant proposal, on top of the Eiffel Tower, or on a luxury cruise, or at least during a lavish dinner in some classy restaurant in New York. Who knew that his raven haired ‘pearl princess’ would cry over a half proposal made in her own apartment guestroom?

“See, told you she would say yes”, Jughead finally said with a happy smile. Archie was speechless at his girlfriend’s excitement. When she started sobbing again looking at the perfectly fit ring on her finger, he managed to say, “Ronnie, this is not how I wanted to do it. I wanted to make it special for you.”

“What are you talking about? What could be more special than having the ring from my boyfriend with our best friend present to share the joy?” her gorgeous smile made Jughead’s heart full for his best friends. He wrapped both of them in a tight hug. These two are among those people whom he considers the closest to a family. Growing up, he always wanted a normal family which he never got. After he ran away from his mother’s house, with little Jellybean, his main struggle was to find a way to dodge the social workers. He could not let himself be separated from his sister - who was the only family he had - and land in a foster care. They had spent so many nights in the projector room of a drive-in where he used to work. Jellybean was a very matured child, life taught her to trust and fully cooperate with her brother at an early age. There was a time, when he asked Archie to keep Jelly for some days at his house and he continued living in school janitor’s closet. When Archie found that out, he was so hurt that his best friend did not ask for his help. Mary Andrews helped him a lot to present their always absentee and alcoholic father as a competent parent in court when their mother was sent to rehab. Fred and Mary were already separated at that time but their love for Jones children was never changed. On the other hand, Lodges always maintained a safe distance with him. They neither despised, nor accepted him. Though Veronica was very sincere in offering him and JB their guestroom, he knew that Hiram Lodge would never approve of that. He still remembers the day he turned eighteen, his first call was to Mary Andrews to get the custody for his sister. His father did not fight him. He was surprised at his father’s words, “You are the best guardian JB could ever have. I believe in you.” He always knew that unlike his mother, his father loved them. FP Jones had many flaws but not taking responsibility for his actions was not one of them.

He was zoned out for a second there. When he was back again, his friends were engaged in a particularly heated kiss. He sighed. They love him very much and he loves them back. But when it comes to their physical affection, they never regard his presence.

“Can’t you two get a room, which is not mine, for your make out session?” he rolled his eyes. Veronica giggled and teased, “What, you jealous? You can join us in a threesome.”

“Yeah, in your dreams, Lodge. Now get out of my room”, he pushed them out and slammed the door.

* * *

Betty collapsed on her chair as soon as she reached station. She was feeling exhausted. The screaming match with her mother over the weekend did not end there. Alice is giving her a cold shoulder since then. Today, she announced that she had some out of town meeting for the newspaper, so she would be away for two days. That left Betty with the full responsibility of the kids. She never gave attention to her mother’s routine before, how she prepares tiffin for the kids, how she reminds them to take everything for school, how she manages to drop them at school on a fixed time without getting late for her own office. Today was a first for Betty in many aspects. She never cooked anything but omelette before. Who knew that making a tomato cheese sandwich was so time consuming? They had to go back to house three times as the kids missed one thing or the other for school. She set up an alarm to remind herself to pick the kids up from school on time. She kept telling herself that it was only for two days, but that did not make the matter any easier.

“Rough morning?” Jughead asked, offering her black coffee.

She groaned, “More like a rough life.”

“Wah Cooper! What made you a cynic today?” Joaquin commented from his desk. She ignored that and continued sipping her coffee. The job was again quiet for past few days. She invested her whole time contacting different people about Dorothy case in this time. Till now, there has been no progress. She looked at Jughead only to see that he is already looking at her, concerned.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. She thought about it for a moment. She feels really comfortable with him. Maybe it’s the author in him that makes him such a good listener. While talking to him, she never feels judged. She never feels that she has to act up to her reputation. Maybe it’s because she knows that he expects nothing from her. He is just like a stranger in transit who chose to stay for a while and be a soundboard for her. She motioned for him to follow her outside. She does not want anyone else to know anything about her devastating home life.

Once outside, he went straight to a street vendor and ordered a Pretzel. “Can’t discuss serious things without food”, was his explanation. She rolled her eyes but said nothing.

“Have you ever felt that your life is falling apart?” she asked once she finished telling him about her terrible morning.

He chuckled, “Only for the first eighteen years of my life”. She shoved him playfully, “What happened after that?”

“I finally realized that my cynicism is not only destroying me, but it is affecting them who love me. And there will always be people who would love you unconditionally. So, the trick is to hold on to the good things in life.” He did not know where this positivity towards life is coming from. Maybe it’s the writer in him, playing with words that people want to hear.

“I don’t know”, she confessed, “I feel like everything is falling apart and I can’t do anything to hold them together.”

“Don’t do that”, he said earnestly, “You are stronger than you family. You are stronger than all the white noise. Don’t let go.”

Reggie found them to inform that there’s an urgent call for Betty. She hurried inside. It was a former police record document clerk in Riverdale office. She came to know that Betty was looking for any information on Dorothy case file. She claimed that she had a record of last checkout of the file. Betty could not trust her fully but she has no other leads. So, she agreed to meet this lady for breakfast tomorrow. As she put the receiver back in the cradle, Sheriff Keller was by her side, “What was that about? A new case?”

“No. That was about the kids’ school”, she lied. Sheriff nodded, “There was a 911 call from Pine Street, a woman claiming to have murdered her husband. DeSantos already headed there with a unit, it will be good if you can join him there.”

* * *

Pine Street is a relatively posh neighbourhood in Riverdale. Here people live in mansions. They do not exchange cookies and pastas with next-door neighbours. Everyone lives in their own world.

Mrs. Kahn must have been the most cool-headed murderer Jughead has ever seen. She was waiting patiently for the Police on her porch. She guided them inside, her husband’s dead body was lying on their bed. She confessed to shoot him with his loaded revolver. She emptied the chamber on him although there were only two bullet holes in his body. Others were lodged in the headrest and the back wall. There was blood everywhere on the bed and on the wall. Her calmness unnerved other officers also. “Ma’am, do you understand your rights?” Joaquin asked her for the third time. She bobbed her head up and down. He exhaled sharply and looked at Betty. She nodded briefly. Joaquin cuffed the woman and led her to the van. She only asked for someone to wait for their sons at the house.

“We will call them. Where are they?” Betty asked.

“Thank you. Ryan is in school and Andy is in college. I already called them.”

“You did what?” Jughead could not suppress his shock anymore.

The woman tilted her head to him very slowly. Her eyes were a shade of brown. Her gaze is almost blank but not lost. It’s like she has been programmed to function in that way. She pronounced each word with equal weight and in same tone, “I called them. They are in New York. But they are coming.”

At least Ryan and Andy were crying mess at their father’s loss. Ryan attends a prep school in New York while Andy is majoring in business management in NYU. They came to the station but refused to meet their mother. Both described her as “cold hearted bitch”. It turns out that they only had their father’s presence throughout their lives. Their mother was a “good for nothing” woman who ruined everything. She never attended any school events for her boys. She was even absent for Andy’s graduation day. Both the boys had a lot of complaints against her. They both confirmed that their father was an extraordinary parent, he always supported them in everything, he was kind enough to tolerate their mother’s presence in the house. Betty knew that she was a murderer but she still felt sorry for that poor woman whom her own sons despise more than anything.

Jughead was watching the interrogation from the adjacent room. Mrs. Kahn repeatedly told that her husband was a good man. He provided her with a home, a family. He was patient enough to accept all her flaws. She was a terrible wife. She messed up everything. She could not do a thing right. He was the one who took care of paying the bills and their children’s education.

“Why did you shoot him then?” Joaquin asked.

“I don’t know”, she said with hesitation, “I was just arranging the wardrobe and the gun was there. As soon as I touched the gun, I felt like I had to do that. I had to shoot him.”

Joaquin and Betty looked at each other. It was a strange case. They have the murder weapon. They have the murderer in custody. They even have the full confession. But something somewhere is not adding up.

“Why did you not attend Andy’s graduation ceremony?” Betty asked softly.

The woman looked up in disbelief, “have you seen me? I am such a pathetic mess. How could I embarrass him on one of the biggest days of his life?”

Something clicked at Jughead’s mind then. He started tapping at the glass. Betty glared at his direction but came out of the room.

“What is it?”

“Did you see their house?” Jughead asked.

“Of course, I saw their house. We only checked every inch of the house as a standard procedure of homicide investigation”, Betty did not try to hide her annoyance.

“Don’t you think their house was squeaky clean?” he queried further.

“What’s your point?” she demanded impatiently.

“What did the ME put as time of death?” he avoided a straight answer. His own theory seemed strange to himself. But he had a strong inkling.

“She is still working on the exact time. But it’s most likely within last 3 hours.” Betty eyed him suspiciously.

He looked at the woman in the interrogation room, then looked back at Betty, “Can I ask just one question to her?”

She wanted to deny his request, but something about this case made her thinking. It is not like in every regular homicide case the murderer calls the police, waits for them to show the body and then praises the victim unconditionally. There was no motive although both the sons and even Mrs. Kahn portrayed herself as a bad person. She agreed to allow him only one question.

“Mrs. Kahn, did you call 911 as soon as you shot your husband?” Jughead was certain that the reply to this question would confirm his theory.

The woman watched him like he was a small kid who asked something ridiculous, “Of course not. I had to finish arranging the wardrobe and then cleaning the house. Marvin would be very angry if I let any outside people in while our house is a mess.”

“Battered Woman Syndrome”, as any expert might put it. Marvin Kahn was an abusive partner, just not the type who fights with their spouses openly, his abuse was more psychological. He had a dominant personality. He made his wife believe that she was worthless through a long period of time. He always criticized her work. Their sons took after their father from early ages as their father was the one who would always be with them. Their mother was so busy perfecting herself and living up to her husband’s standards, she never had the time to look after her children. She provided them with clean clothes, organized rooms, spotless house but all they could see was their father patiently dealing with their mother’s faults. She had no confidence left in her to face the real world, to present herself to outside people, to attend the PT meetings. She blamed herself constantly for everything. She had no driver’s licence, no bank account, no employment record. It was like she had no existence except the identity of “Mrs. Kahn”. She even forgot she had a name before her marriage, Emma Abel. When she first mentioned shooting her husband while arranging the wardrobe, it struck Jughead. He is a good observer, so he noticed the closed wardrobe in their bedroom. That meant she closed the wardrobe after she shot her husband. But why? If she was planning to turn herself in, why would she bother to close the wardrobe. He was sure that if they go back and check, the wardrobe would be neatly arranged. Then the woman and her sons kept referring her a person who would mess everything up. But when he roamed around the house, he observed how skilfully decorated the house was. It was pristine. None of the items were out of place. That was a house well maintained for years. There was a possibility that her husband was the one maintaining everything but when she mentioned about arranging the wardrobe, it was clear that she was the one looking after the house.

Betty shivered while speaking to attorney’s office about Marvin Kahn murder case. She could have ended in a similar position if she had not broken up with Chuck Clayton in time. He was, as Kevin prefers to call him, “a manipulative pig”. She is still amazed with herself how she managed to remain at the top of her class despite going through all the drama in relationship front in college. It was not easy. She had to see a therapist for two years after that. But at least she was able to get out of it. As she thought back to the day, she realized that it would not have been possible without Kevin and Polly. Those two people have always been on her side through tough times. Her resolution about taking the best care of Polly’s kids became stronger.

* * *

Betty dropped the kids at school on time and went ahead to meet Ms. Swett for breakfast. She already informed Sheriff Keller that she had some personal work and will come late. After a lot of argument with herself she texted Jughead telling him the real reason for her delay. _After all, he helped to search for the file_ , she reasoned with her brain. Ms. Donna Swett is a woman in her mid-fifties. She used to work as a document clerk in Riverdale PD but she was fired almost a decade ago as Betty knew from her personnel record. The reason for termination was misdemeanour at workplace, no details provided. Ms. Swett kept their meeting place in a small breakfast place near the school. She was already waiting when Betty got there. Betty could not help but feel her attempt to hide her face with beach hat and sunglass a little too much. _I mean that’s a pretty old case of a lawyer’s death, not an assassination attempt on the Mayor._ But she did not comment. As it turned out, the woman had a lot to share. She claimed that she was terminated because she confronted the officer who checked the Dorothy file out. The officer checked out the file and requested her not to put it on the record as he would return it next day. She was on good terms with said officer so she obliged. But when one week passed and the file was still not returned, she asked him. The next day she got fired over some mysterious misdemeanour charges. When she demanded an explanation, it was pointed out that some files were missing from the archives under her watch. That is the precise reason that she still remembers the officer’s name, Scott Raglan. Well, the news was useless to Betty because she knows that Officer Scott Raglan has been dead for last six months, he had cancer. Another dead end. Or, maybe not. Maybe she should try to find if the file is still at his home.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Jughead accompanied her to Officer Raglan’s house. Betty knew Mrs. Raglan closely. She was her piano teacher once. She still looks almost same with the golden rimmed glasses and shoulder length brown hair neatly arranged in a bun. She greeted her like they met yesterday. When asked about his husband’s work, she was not happy though. She told that her husband was a workaholic. He always used to bring some file or the other at home to work on. She ushered them to a small room which used to be her husband’s study and asked them to feel free to look for whatever file they needed. The room was a messy one. Lots of papers scattered over the wooden study table. They could not find the specific file they were looking for, but there were two other files. Both homicide cases. Betty took them to have a look later. Jughead shot her a questioning look, she shrugged. She is now grasping at straws. Yes, she could just give it up. There was a high possibility that the shooting was actually gang-related. Riverdale Southside has always been infamous for gang war. Serpents and Ghoulies were two rival gangs reigned there for a long time. Sometimes, there were nasty fights. So, if Mrs. Miller was present there, by any chance, she could actually have been killed by accidental shooting. But Betty was determined to rule out any other possibilities. Though she did not believe everything Ms. Swett told, she could not shake the idea of a bigger game behind the missing file.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Why do I know this name?” Jughead waved one file in front of Betty’s face. This was one of the files from Raglan house. The label printed as “Ashley Morgan”. She also thought the name sounded familiar. Then it hit her. This name was mentioned in one of the newspaper clips Diana shared with her. Ashley Morgan was a co-worker of Dorothy Miller in the same legal clinic. She was stabbed to death a year before Dorothy’s demise. The reporter claimed that Dorothy was working on Ashley Morgan murder case when she herself was murdered. The police arrested and prosecuted the killer in Morgan case, it was a gang member, named Joe Fogarty. He is serving a life term in Cayuga Correctional Facility. The file shows only physical proof against Joe was his fingerprints on Ms. Morgan’s car which he claimed to be from being in her car before the murder as he was an informant for Ashley. The jury was conflicted between his gang affiliation and no concrete evidence. Then suddenly towards the ending of the trial, investigating officer Raglan produced an eye witness and the case turned 180 degrees. The witness, named Donna Swett, gave statement under oath that she saw Joe Fogarty stabbing Ms. Morgan with her own eyes. Fogarty’s involvement with a dangerous gang supported the accusation easily. He could not produce any evidence of him being drunk and alone in his own house which was his alibi. The conclusion was easy. Put a gang member behind bars for the rest of his life.

“What the actual fuck?”, she exclaimed. Jughead was startled at her expression. But she could not contain her puzzlement anymore, “The woman who gave me Officer Raglan’s name, she is Donna Swett, the very same one who was witness in this case.”

* * *

Veronica was not ready to listen to any excuses this time. She had planned a whole day of spa and shopping with Kevin and Betty. Kevin is always ready to spend some quality time with his best girls. It was Betty who was reluctant at first. Her mother is back and already raised a lot of complaints about the house not being clean properly and kids were fed junk food for straight two days. She was mentally and physically exhausted. But Veronica Lodge is nothing if not persuasive enough to change her friend’s mind. Betty wanted to share her friend’s excitement of being engaged newly. The day Archie proposed her, Veronica face timed Kevin and Betty at the middle of night. Betty could not even be angry at Veronica for ruining her sleep because she was looking so goddamn happy.

“So, V. Tell us _everything_ ”, Kevin demanded sipping his milkshake. Veronica talked about the evening animatedly emphasizing on the fact how glad she was that their best friend was present when it happened. Kevin arched his eyebrows, “Jughead, right? He’s a hottie. Do you know if maybe he is interested in guys?”

Betty scolded him, “Kev, you already have Quin. He’s such a pure soul.”

“Relax, Betty”, Kevin wrapped one arm around her shoulder, “No need to be so possessive.”

She could feel herself turning to a deep shade of red.

“Oh yeah, I totally forgot to ask. How did you end up on my couch the other day?” Veronica asked nonchalantly.

Kevin screeched, “Wait. What? Why didn’t I hear about this?”

“Can we talk about V’s wedding plan?” Betty pleaded. “No way, girl”, Veronica shook her head firmly, “we need to discuss _this_ first. What happened?”

“There is nothing to discuss. I was upset about the breakup. I just kind of showed up at your house, he was patient enough to listen to me and comfort me. Nothing happened.”

 _Of course, nothing happened_.

She and Jughead were in a working relationship. She was not falling for him. _Nope. Definitely not_.

* * *

She did not want to go for the meeting with Sarah and Noah’s teacher at school. But her mother refused to attend the meeting this time and Betty, however furious at her mother, still loved her sister. So, she kept reminding herself that she was doing it for her sister, not her mother.

Ms. Belle recognized her immediately, “Elizabeth, how are you?” She was a teacher’s pet all through her student life. That time, she was very pleased to be the one. But she hated that image now. Being back with her middle school favourite teacher in the same old cabin is now proving to be very unnerving experience.

“I’m good Miss Belle. How are you?” she was loathing every second of it.

The elderly woman looked at her over her glasses, “I know, you are a busy woman, Elizabeth. But you should take some time out to be with the kids.”

There it is. As if her mother was not accusing her enough of the same damn thing every day, day and night.

“Yes, Miss Belle. I will try”, she was getting impatient. Did she call her to give some bullshit advise? _Thanks, but I have my own mother for that_ , she thought.

Ms. Belle continued, “you know, the kids adore you. They would really appreciate if you can spend more time with them.”

_Wait. What?_

She blinked several times, unable to come up with a response. Sensing her disbelief, the teacher handed an essay to her. It’s an essay on “Your role model”, written by Sarah Cooper. She wrote that she wants to become a smart and brave woman like her aunt. Her aunt is the literal embodiment of Nancy Drew, she fights the bad guys and protect the good ones. She also mentioned that she hoped there would be a book written on Aunt Betty soon. Betty’s eyes suddenly prickled. She swallowed thickly to hold back the lump in her throat. She has thought of the kids being disobedient, not liking her, comparing her with Polly. But maybe all they were trying to do was to get a little more attention from her? She remembered how they radiate happiness whenever Jughead comes to the house for their Arcade visits. She thought that they did not want her to go with them. She even felt jealous of Jughead sometimes when the kids showed obvious fondness towards him. But maybe _she_ was the one being distant. Clutching the essay in her hands, she nodded to the experienced teacher. Ms. Belle bid her goodbye with an understanding smile.

She did not know why the first thing she did while walking back to home was to scan the page and send to Jughead. His response came within a few seconds, “ **They love you, Betts**.” She smiled at the screen gleefully. Her fingers hovered over the call button. She was not really paying attention to her surroundings which was a stupid mistake. Because, she failed to notice the black minivan getting close. When the screeching sound of car tyres caught her attention, it was already too late. She could barely see the barrel of a gun before the bullet hit her in the chest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. Special thanks to all those left comment/kudos for the work. Hope you enjoy this chapter.   
> Don't forget to let me know your thoughts in comments. :)

Jughead smiled warmly at the scanned picture of the essay on his screen. He has always known that Betty is well-loved by everyone, even if she does not believe that. She is a hero for Noah and Sarah as they often refer her when she is not present. He knows how those kids’ minds work. They crave for her attention, her validation. But she is too busy self-criticising herself that she overlooks all the signs. He was happy that at last she could see what others see in her, what _he_ sees in her. He waited some time for her reply, then went back to his writings. His time in Riverdale is coming to an end sooner than he wanted. Although he has no urgent engagement in New York right now. He could simply extend his stay maybe? But he can clearly picture the triumphant smile on Veronica’s face if he proposes that.

 _He is not doing it for Betty’s sake, right?_ He shook his head to himself, of course, he is not doing it for her. He is doing it for his book. The more time he can spend here, working cases, the more authentic his book would become. At the very least, he needs to solve that Dorothy case with her. He cannot leave a case in the middle. He felt content with that reasoning and secretly prayed the case to be more complicated and time consuming than it looks.

His concentration broke with angry vibrations of his phone. He frowned at the calling number, it is unknown. After a moment’s hesitation he picked it up. To his surprise, it was Detective DeSantos. He sounded quite upset, “Jones, can you meet me at Riverdale General Hospital?”

Panic shot through him. What is it? Did something happen to Veronica? Or Betty? It must be Betty. But she was fine just an hour ago. She was elated. She was messaging him. He should have called her when she did not reply to his last message.

He does not know how he got dressed or reached the hospital. A very distraught Reggie Mantle was at the reception. Seeing him the detective came and without words pulled him into a hug. Once the primary shock subsided, he could understand that it was not for him but for Reggie himself as the tough young man was crying silently into his shoulders.

“What happened?” he managed to ask. Reggie shook his head angrily, “Somebody shot her, Jones.”

He stood there, frozen. His mind numb, body limp. It was not until Joaquin came and guided him to the waiting area, he could feel his body again. Joaquin explained to him that she was shot in a close range. The bullet just missed her heart by mere fraction of inches, and is lodged in her sternum. She could have been dead on the spot. Or, she could bleed out. But luckily, some parent was going to pick up their kid early from school and they saw her. She was very near to the school campus. _That means she was shot just after she texted me_ , he thought ruefully.

“How…how is she now?” he could not meet the gaze of anyone. What would have happened if she was not texting him? What would have happened if he had not diverted her mind with his own text? Maybe she would have dodged the bullet, like she has done so many times in her life. The thought of distracting her and in return getting her shot sent him spiralling into self-reproach.

Joaquin squeezed his shoulder, “She is in surgery. But she will pull through.”

He nodded. “She is a fighter, Jones”, Joaquin assured him again.

* * *

He does not remember when he came to the hospital, if he had eaten something or not. He remembers at some point in time, Veronica came and forced him to have a coffee. And he thinks there were cookies too. He saw Alice from the corner of his eyes. She was clutching to Veronica’s hand. Alice had to go pick up the kids as she was explaining to her. But his mind is jumbled up. He cannot think straight anymore. Betty has become a safe place in his life. Every morning he wakes up knowing that he would meet her. They would discuss some theories together. They would go over the murder board. She still does not let him touch the board, but now he is allowed to stick all his post-it notes in a small board beside the main one. He would tease her with something. She would glare at him. She would bite her lower lip in between her teeth as she would try to suppress her smile at his sardonic humour. She would shove his legs down from the desk as soon as he put them up on it. For a long time, he has pushed the self- deprecatory thoughts of bearing bad luck for anyone he loves, down his mind. Today they came back flooding his whole consciousness. Numerous memories from his childhood crept up in his brain.

It was after five long hours, the surgeon informed them that the operation was successful. They removed the bullets. But she was not out of danger. She was still unconscious and they required to keep her under observation for at least next 36 hours.

Veronica cried in his chest. Joaquin clapped him in the back. Reggie hugged him again, this time shedding tears of relief. He was still not feeling much. He did not cry or laugh or released a breath he was holding. Reggie said furiously, “We need to find that bastard. I will kill him with my bare hands.”

These words cut through his dazed state and jolted him. The shooter is still out there, roaming freely. Now he felt a hot surge of anger inside him. Standing up, he started walking towards the exit.

“Where are you going?” Joaquin called back.

“To find the shooter”, He said resolutely. Without another word, both detectives joined him. They already posted security outside Betty’s cabin for 24*7. Also, requested to send the lobby camera feed to be live streamed at the station. Someone will keep a watch on that feed to spot any suspicious visitor.

Riverdale does not have any street camera near school. So, they could not get anything from traffic footage. The shooting spot still has a lot of blood splattered. Jughead shivered uncontrollably at that sight. Nobody was there when the incident happened. Reggie went to check with school’s principal if they could get the footage from school’s front gate camera. It might have captured something. Though the angle of that camera is not directly pointing to the shooting spot, there could be something.

The footage from school camera was mainly directed at the road. But the attackers seemed to know the location of said camera. So, they drove and positioned the car in such a way that blocked the number plate. But it still gave a side view of the black minivan just seconds after his message was delivered to Betty. Once again, he felt his stomach lurched at the thought of his message distracting her. But he quickly regained his composure as he kept chanting to himself that it was the shooter who was at fault, not him. Joaquin and Reggie are already engaged in relaying information about a black minivan and the time to all neighboring police stations. He had nothing much to do. He was going through the footage again just to be sure that they did not miss anything. It was then he spotted a reflection on the rear windshield.

“Mantle, I think I have something, maybe”, he called Reggie who was hunching over his desk placing non-stop phone calls. At his words, both Reggie and Joaquin quickly abandoned whatever they were doing and came to look at his screen. He tried to zoom in on the reflection but it got distorted.

“I would send this to the tech team to enhance the image”, Joaquin clapped his hand on Jughead’s back. Reggie nodded, “You might have found our only witness, Jones. But I wonder why did not they come forward?”

The answer to this question was cleared when they got the enhanced photo back. It was the reflection of a kid, a shocked expression on his face. He was probably an Elementary school student. Reggie and Joaquin hurried out with the printed photo to meet the principal in Riverdale Elementary.

Jughead did not have the mood to go with them. He was missing Betty terribly. Sitting at his usual chair, from across the blonde’s seat, he felt an emptiness that words failed to describe. She was not in his life just three months ago. But knowing her, being with her, it does not feel like there was ever a time when she was not there. The phone on her desk started ringing startling him momentarily. He grabbed the receiver without thinking much, “Hello”.

There was a female voice on the other side, “I’m looking for Detective Cooper?” His heart clenched at the mention of her name, but what else did he expect? He did not reveal about her being shot, “She is not at her desk at this moment. May I take a message?” The woman seemed to consider this for a moment before speaking again, “Tell her to reach me about some new information for her case. She knows me, I’m Donna, Donna Swett.” Before he could respond anything, the line went dead. He remembered her name clearly from previous day’s conversation.

* * *

It was the visiting hours in next morning. He went to the hospital with a bouquet of lilies. He remembered during one of their many late-night conversations, she admitted that she never liked roses. She liked lilies. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor of evidence room. Files and papers scattered in between them. The Dorothy case was driving them crazy. The more they looked into it, the more confused they got. He did not know why she was so passionate about that case, but it intrigued him. He asked her the reason when she did not mention Dorothy’s daughter trying to reopen the case to the Sherriff. She waved him off saying she did not want to bother the older man. That night, after hours of going through newspaper cuttings, case files from Officer Raglan’s home and endless notes that they made, he proposed a game of twenty questions. She wiggled her eyebrows towards him but closed the file in her hand, “You start”.

“What is your favourite flower?” he asked without hesitance. She did not try to hide her surprise, “Seriously? That is your most important question?” He shrugged.

“Okay. Let me be clear that it’s not red roses”, there was a hint of jest in her voice and he immediately understood why. Her ex-boyfriend used to show up with bunch of red roses whenever he picked her up. “It’s lilies. They are nice and cute but not beautiful and perfect. They are adored but not special.” After a little pause, she smiled, “Kind of like me?” He looked at her in shock, “You are special, Betts.” _You don’t know how special you are._ She simply shook her head before coming back with a question for him.

She was still not awake. He placed the flowers at her bedside table and sat on the chair, taking her one hand in his. He brushed his lips on her knuckles and felt her cold skin. He just sat there holding her hand, placing his head on their joined hands and closing his eyes. She did not wake up but he felt content with her touch, with the steady beeping of the machine indicating her heart is still beating. He has not lost her. He did not know how long he sat there, holding her hand before a movement on the doorstep caught his attention. It was Alice Cooper, not the put together and rigid journalist, but a disheveled and worried mother. He quickly placed Betty’s hand down on the bed and rose up to his feet. He moved to walk out of the room, to give the woman some private time with her daughter. But she stopped him. She urged him to sit back as she took the second chair to settle herself down. She brushed her fingers on Betty’s forehead as she spoke in a very low voice, “I have always been so hard on her, set the bar of expectation so high that it was impossible to reach for anyone. But she never complained once. She completed her high school, captain of her cheerleading squad, editor of her school paper, leading member of the debate club all while maintaining a perfect GPA. I can’t blame her for trying to run away from home and build a life elsewhere. You know, what will I do when she wakes up?” He did not say anything, sensing it was a rhetorical question.

“I would apologize to her, for everything I have put her through”, one stray tear ran down Alice’s cheek.

“You had her best interests at heart”, he replied softly. She did not seem convinced but gave him a small smile anyways.

“If you want some time for yourself, I can take Noah and Sarah to Ronnie’s. I can assure you that they would have a good time with us”, he offered. She nodded, “I know. Thanks, Jughead. But I think I would become crazy if I need to spend the night without the kids at home.” He offered her a gentle squeeze on her wrist and stood up to leave. She called back, “You are a good man, Jughead.” He smiled politely and left the room.

He met Joaquin at the lobby. The detective gave him all updates about the case. They found the kid after talking to the principal in Riverdale Elementary. The child was only a second grader and he was terrified. His parents thought that something happened at school as he refused to speak anything at all after going back home. But after giving him time and reassurances, he opened up about what he saw. He did not see anyone but the car and how the woman on the sidewalk fell on ground with blood everywhere.

“They used a silencer”, Joaquin commented, “Also, the boy could not see the number plate. Even if he saw, he was too shocked to memorize it. We have put out an APB with the car’s description and approximate time.”

Jughead nodded, “But what are the chances? I mean there are a lot of black minivans.”

“We examined the bullet also, it was a 0.22 caliber. We can do nothing but work and hope for the best, Jones.”, Joaquin patted him lightly on the shoulder.

* * *

Betty could not understand where she was at first. The harsh rays of light hitting her eyes. After a few minutes of adjustment, she could see the machines, her hospital gown, the white walls. _What the hell happened?_ She had a mild headache and a constricted feeling in her chest, also drowsy. But otherwise she was fine. She tried to move her legs, her hands, her head. Yeah, she can move all the joints. As she tried to sit up a little, searing pain shot through her mid-section. She gasped loudly almost feeling tears from the pain. An elderly nurse rushed in. She tried to help her lay back down. But she shook her head stubbornly. She remembers the shooting. She needs to talk to her colleagues and see how the case is going. If they were able to find the guy. She will not be much helpful though as she practically remembers nothing but the gun barrel before everything went black.

“What…what day is it?” she asked the nurse. The older woman smiled kindly and replied, “It’s Thursday. You have been out for a day.”

She squinted her eyes at the window glass. It feels like sometimes near sunset. The nurse set a pillow at her backside to make her comfortable. She smiled at the woman gratefully. Then her eyes fell on the flowers. It’s not very fresh, nobody put them in water. But it’s lilies, her favourite. Looking at her expression, the nurse said, “One of your visitors might have brought it.” She smiled, her heart getting a little warm. She knows who brought it. He is the only person in the whole world who knows about her favourite flower. She did not know why she shared it with him, not that it was a secret or anything, nobody ever asked.

“Oh my God! You almost killed us girl!” Kevin dramatically waltzed into the room. She could only smile at her best friends’ theatrics.

“Who’s us?” she tilted her head quizzically. He rolled his eyes, “Everyone. But specially your hot writer buddy.” She felt her face grew just a bit warm. With a quick side glance at the flowers, she murmured absentmindedly, “Is that so?”

When he did not answer, she turned her face to look at him. He was wearing that annoying smirk that he does every time he thinks he has caught her on something.

“What?” she asked cautiously.

“Nothing”, he shook his head, quickly typing in his phone. Then he shoved the phone in his pocket and walked closer to hug her tight, “I’m happy to have you back, Betty.”

She felt herself relaxing in his embrace, “Me too, Kev. You have no idea.”

* * *

He is not used to seeing an untidy Veronica Lodge at any time of the day. Her red-rimmed eyes and messy hair indicated that she did not sleep at all. When he left for hospital early morning, he could not see her anywhere in the apartment. But she launched herself at him, as soon as he entered through main door. He was startled for a moment but managed to hold her back.

“Wow Ron, since when you started looking like a human?” he tried to lighten the mood, rubbing his hand on her back. To her credit, she scoffed, “Not funny, Jug. How is she?”

“She has not woken up yet”, he moved to the kitchen pouring a glass of water for himself.

She dabbed her eyes with a napkin and asked, “How are you?”

“I’m fine”, he assured her. She continued staring at him with that piercing brown eyes, like she can read his soul. She has always been like this. He remembers high school. The more he tried to shield his feelings, the more intense her gaze became. Archie was the first one to be on his side in times of crisis but Veronica was the first one to magically understand as soon as the crisis happened. He patted her shoulder once in confirmation that he was okay.

Jughead could not stay at home for long. He went to the station, joining Joaquin and Reggie in their investigation. Everybody was shaken. Sheriff Keller’s sullen face showed how bad he was feeling. Betty was his son’s childhood best friend, he has known the girl since she was three. Finding her shooter is not an easy task, but the Sherriff asked the whole force to work on that. One garage owner in Greendale called demanding he has seen the car, but could not confirm the number plate. Another old woman called from Southside saying her tenant has the exact same car. When the police reached there, it was a blue car instead of black.

Joaquin’s phone buzzed. It was his boyfriend. Betty was awake. Jughead’s heart started thumping loudly in his chest.

She had black eyebags under her emerald eyes. Her golden hair rough and messy. She was looking particularly pale. But the twinkle in her eyes, when she saw them, made his heart full. She spoke in a very weak voice. Her first sentence was asking for update on her case, “Did you find the guy?”

Joaquin smirked, “Straight to business, Cooper?” Reggie became emotional, “That’s like the Betty I’ve known for ever.”

He has known her only for past three months, but he agreed with Reggie. She is always committed to her job. He could bet that she was aching to be back on her feet, start working on this new case.

Once the detectives filled her in with information, she demanded to be questioned, “I know, I will not be of much help. But I want a cognitive to be arranged.” Reggie and Joaquin looked at each other before trying to protest weakly, “You just woke up”, “Probably you should take rest for today”.

“Would you guys have behaved the same way if it were any citizen?” she huffed.

At that, both the boys gave up and promised to set up a cognitive in next hour. Jughead stayed back a little. When Reggie and Joaquin went out of earshot, he asked her, “Are you okay?”

She rolled her eyes, “I’m fine! These stupid channels and machines are irritating me, that’s all.”

“You know it’s okay if you are not fine. You just got shot”, he moved to stand closer.

Her face hardened, “This is all part of my job, Jug. Also, I got more than a day’s rest. I’m fine.”

Before he could push that topic further, she flashed him a soft smile, “Thank you for the flowers.” This was not like her usual smile, this was very genuine, as if she could not believe someone would remember her favourite flower and bring it to her hospital bed. That smile sent his heart fluttering. His façade of bestseller author’s charming personality almost broke before he nodded and hurried outside.

* * *

Even in the cognitive, Betty could not remember much. She remembered thinking about calling a friend, which she did not mention as Jughead. Joaquin gave her a curious look but did not pursue that line of questioning. She remembered seeing the barrel of the gun, the black car, but nothing else. She was clutching the stress ball tightly in one hand, she could feel the nails in her other hand digging into the soft flesh of her palm. Walking through the events of your own shooting is not really an easy task. But she is nothing if not a fighter. So, she made her colleagues to run the cognitive again and again until she remembered the tiny detail about the shooter. It was the left hand on trigger and the person wore a black ski mask. She remembered the eyes, or rather only one eye that had a stone cold gaze. That detail might not matter right now. But if they find a lead, it would be easier to validate their assumptions with this knowledge. When they finished, she was sweating profusely, her left palm blood stained and breathing heavy. But she was satisfied with herself.

* * *

Doctors released her the next day and she was instructed to be strictly confined to her room for at least two weeks. Sheriff Keller personally requested Jughead to ensure the same. Knowing Betty, this was going to be a tough task. And it was. She clenched her teeth and grunted but would not take anyone’s help while climbing the stairs. It took her twenty minutes to reach her room on first floor. Even after reaching there, she was not happy with her performance. Jughead made Alice and the kids to go to bed. The look on the kids’ faces were of shock and fear. When she entered the house, both her niece and nephew just wrapped their arms around her waist and stayed there. None in the Cooper clan was good at dealing with emotions. He found that to be very similar to his own family. Jones siblings shared the same kind of unspoken but tight bond. Even with their father it has never been hugs and tears, all shoulder pats and curt nods. Nobody could ever be able to decipher the fierce love/hate relationship he had with his father or the immense affection towards his sister.

He planned to read a book and watch some Netflix on the living room couch, so that he could be awake for Betty if she needs anything at all. He is a night owl anyways.

He was engrossed in his copy of “In cold blood”, when a loud sound came from Betty’s room. He was upstairs in a moment. He was so terrified that the idea of knocking did not even occur to his mind. Inside, she was on her knees on the floor carpet. He hurried to help her. She was stubborn enough to refuse his hand first. But she was not at all able to stand up by herself, cursing under her breath she grabbed his hand. As soon as she was up, she released it, causing another disbalance in her posture. He pressed one of his hands firmly on her waist and tried to guide her to the bed. He ignored the way he felt when his fingertips brushed the small area of exposed skin between her crinkled top and the waistband of her pyjama.

“I need my laptop”, she demanded. She looked really adorable pouting in her pizza slice printed sleep pyjamas. But he forced himself to focus his attention on her comfort.

He made her to sit down securely on the bed before handing her the laptop from study table.

“Why are you acting so reckless?” he asked, careful to avoid any accusing tone in his voice.

She grumbled, “I don’t like this. I don’t like being the weak one.”

“You are not weak”, he insisted. She did not say anything but gave him a hard look. He already heard the story of her cognitive interview from the detectives, how she forced them to ask her questions and walk through the same chain of events until it was fruitful. She was focussed and loyal to her job. But she needs to give herself a break.

He took her right hand in between both of his hands and started tracing small circles with his thumb, “Feeling pain or being hurt, physically or mentally, does not make you weak, Betts. It makes you human.”

She exhaled heavily, “Are you sleeping on the couch?”

He nodded.

“If you want, you can stay here. This bed is big enough, that’s if you want.”

He grinned, biting back a cheeky reply, “Yeah, I would like that. Frankly, your couch is not that comfortable.”

She gave him an exasperated sigh, knowing that was not what he would have said under normal circumstances, “You know, you don’t need to hold back your snarky comments just because I was shot.”

“Okay, Nancy Drew. Let me get my book, then we can talk dirty”, he smirked and headed downstairs to get his book. She rolled her eyes and flopped back on her bed.

Betty’s mobile was on the sofa. She had her phone in hand when she was shot, but luckily, the mobile was not damaged much, only few scratches on the screen. He thought to take her phone to the bedroom. As he touched the phone, it started vibrating with call from some unknown number. He frowned contemplating for a moment before deciding to receive it. He was almost certain that this was one of her many informants, who else would call her at this time of night. But before he could say hello, the other end spoke. The voice sent a chill through his spine. It was a distorted voice, like it was deliberately changed through some machine, “Detective Cooper. This is your first and last warning to drop the Dorothy case. Because, next time the bullet won’t miss.” The line got disconnected with a mechanical click. He stood there frozen with the phone in his hand.

As much as he would like to present this as evidence to find the shooter, he knew what this threat would mean to Betty. She would make Dorothy case her first and foremost priority if she listens to this. No, he shook his head. He can’t let that happen. She is already hurt. He was the one who distracted her enough to get hurt. He can’t take another chance with her life. What is the guarantee that this recording will help to find the shooter? If anything, this proves whoever are behind this are already one step ahead of them. This number would definitely be traced back to a burner phone and the voice would not be recognized because of the level of mechanical alteration. The only thing this message will do is to make Betty desperate to work on Dorothy case more intensely. His fingers hovered over delete button momentarily before pressing it. She does not need to know. Nobody needs to know. He would make sure that she gets assigned to other cases, that she concentrates on other cases, not the one related to Dorothy. He can’t lose her. Not for a murder that happened years ago. It is probably ironic that he felt a surge of protective instinct for the fierce detective who is known to be fearless. But he did not dwell on that. Betty Cooper is too precious for the world. One unsolved mystery is nothing compared to her life.

Betty was already asleep when he went back to her bedroom. Keeping her mobile on the nightstand, he sat himself on a chair, once again opening his book. Sleep will not come to him tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kudos and comments. Please keep them coming. :)  
> A few words for this chapter.  
> 1\. Jason is not a Blossom. He is an asshole here. So, if you love Jason, well, I warned you. :)  
> 2\. Jason and Cheryl have no relation in this fic.  
> Oh and I updated the tags. Please have a look at them.

She winced in pain as she was a little too quick to descend the steps in her house. Alice threw her a chiding look, “You are not going to miss any train, Elizabeth.” She knows that. But last two weeks have been miserable. She felt useless lying on bed. Counting stars, reading books, listening to Jughead’s cheerful voice as he visited every day. It felt good for first few days. Taking time to do things she never has enough time for. But then the suffocating feeling of doing nothing came back. She wanted to rush out of the house and be at office. Looking for any new leads, solving new mysteries, hunting for the man who shot her. She was still not clear to go in the field. It’s going to be two more weeks of torture with only desk duties. At least, she can get out of the house.

She huffed at Reggie and Joaquin who apparently came to escort her to office, “It’s not my first day at new school, guys!”

“Oh, you sure look like a sexy high school girl, Betts”, came Jughead’s chirping voice from the kitchen. He was shoving pancakes in his mouth, munching slowly. She glared at him trying to ignore the pain that coursed through her nearly healed injury point under her turtleneck sweater.

“And you look like the pervert old English teacher hitting on his students!” she fired back and took a bite from the apple Alice offered her. Joaquin’s loud laughter drowned Jughead’s gasp of shock. She turned to walk out of the door, pleased with herself. 

“Take it back”, he jogged after her. She shook her head. But then, she spotted his motorcycle parked in front of her house and a plan was made in her head.

“Okay, I will take it back if you let me drive your bike.”

“You are delusional”, he declared dismissively. She shrugged. She was not the one to back down.

* * *

She thought it would be liberating back at her desk. But it was not. Everyone handled her with such care as if she was fragile. It made her snap at them a couple of times. She immersed herself in her desk duties. But Sheriff Keller did not give much of that also. She knew where his affection came from. But it bothered her. It made her feel worthless all over again. They still were not able to catch the shooter. Reggie and Joaquin continued their own investigation aside from their daily duties. But till now, no new lead.

She dug through her files in search for the news clipping from Dorothy case. She could not find them. She started searching frantically. Opening each and every drawer, throwing all files and papers on desk.

“What happened to clean desk policy, Ms. Perfect?” Jughead appeared with two coffee cups. She ignored his quip. The file was important. Otherwise, she would get crazy with desk duties for two weeks.

“Did you see our Dorothy case file?” she asked him accepting her coffee. He shrugged, “should be in your drawer.”

“It’s not there”, she threw the files back in exasperation. “Don’t worry. We’ll find it”, he offered casually.

But they did not.

* * *

Days were passing quicker than she thought. Much to her delight. Internally, she admitted that it was all easier because of his continuous presence around her. Distracting her with his joshing comments when she was restless with lack of work. But she is not going to say that out loud to anyone else. Just like she is not going to admit that the weekend trip to swimming hole with him and her nephew and niece was actually nice and refreshing.

_It was a lazy Sunday morning. She groaned at the loud noise coming from downstairs. She was not going to be waken up today this early. She buried her head in a fort of pillows and tried to go back to sleep until there was loud poundings on her bedroom door. She shouted “go away”, but her voice was all muffled by the pillows. The pounding continued, if anything, it grew more intense. Finally, she had to get out of her bed. She approached the door mumbling to herself. She expected the kids. So, when Jughead, ready in a dark grey t-shirt and black shorts, greeted her with his usual lopsided grin, she was thrown off-guard._

_“Morning, sleeping beauty”, he chirped._

_She grumbled, “What are you doing here?”_

_He smirked, gesturing towards her Rapunzel printed sleep pyjama set, “saving you from like a really tall tower. Only you did not help me with your hair.”_

_“Don’t forget that I have a gun”, she warned him. He waved her off, “Get ready, princess. We are going for a ride.” She glared at him and was about to come back with another warning. But then Noah and Sarah came running up. Sarah easily slipped under Jughead’s arm, wrapping his waist. Noah’s eyes went wide as he took in his aunt’s sleepy appearance which was undoubtedly different from her ever alert personality. She blinked in surprise seeing both kids dressed up in swimming shorts and carrying towels._

_She was surly the whole way to swimming hole. What a great way to ruin Sunday! Use the kids to guilt you to a morning trip. Alice looked way too happy to pack sandwiches for their lunch. And, she still could not understand how Jughead made such a nice impression on them. He was smart and funny in an irritating way. But his show off? Urgh! She looked at him driving the open jeep merrily. His fingers drumming on steering to the beats of blaring pop music. He looked genuinely gleeful at this moment. Months of close observance and she can now tell his tales. He combs fingers through his hair when he does not want to give away that he is frustrated about something. He rubs his neck in times of nervousness. And his brows are slightly creased when he concentrates on something real hard. In those moments she could see glimpses of a nerd and awkward kid. A kid that’s still very much part of him. She smiled to herself as Sarah started singing with Ed Sheeran on speaker. The playlist was definitely the kids’ choice. She for a fact knew that Jughead was more of an old songs-classic movies guy. His favourite book was ‘In cold blood’. His favourite movies were ‘Rebel without a Cause’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’. They discovered a lot of each other’s personality during their late night works on Dorothy case. She was taken aback by the fact how similar they were at the core. They both loved classics. They both loved mysteries. And, they both had parental issues. In a moment of vulnerability, he confided in her about his father’s long-term drinking problem. But he was happy that FP was recovering now, trying at least. She wanted to know more about that genuine and vulnerable Jughead, hidden behind this street smart, flirtatious, confident man. Maybe, some day. Warmth bloomed in her chest unnecessarily at that thought._

_“How is your writing going?” she asked when they were lying under the sun, watching the kids having fun. They were still in water. Playing and splashing each other. Her injuries, though healed, she did not want to risk her return to active duty. So, she sat on the bank whole time, only keeping her toes submerged in water. The water felt cool against the summer heat. As a child, she used to come here very often. Always accompanied by her dad and Polly. Sometimes Sheriff Keller and Kevin joined them._

_“Are you actually interested in my novel, Cooper?” Jughead offered her a half smile which revealed his dimples. If she did not know better, she would have found it really cute. She rolled her eyes internally at herself._

_“I’m just trying to make small talk. Don’t let it get to your head.”_

_“Well, you know, I have this very sexy blonde as my lead detective character.”_

_“Excuse me?” she sat up straight, glaring at him._

_“Oh! don’t let it get to your head, Betts. You are not the only blonde in the world.” He replied smirking._

_“Yeah? What happened to making Joaquin or Reggie the lead detective?”_

_“I have to consider reader’s preferences. And I hate to admit it but sexy lady officer is way more sellable in market than handsome and funny male detectives.”_

_“I don’t even want to start pointing out how many levels of chauvinism was there in that comment”, she huffed._

_“Well, the next part is really interesting. There is this protagonist, a writer…”, she cut him with an annoyed “Oh my God! Could you be more narcissistic?”_

_“Whatever. So, this writer and the lady officer, they have a steaming sex scene in shower.” He finished with another of his trademark charming smile._

_Her whole body flushed hot and she swatted at his chest before she could check herself._

_“Whoa! Did you just get excited that you can actually have sex with me in my book?” he winked at her._

_“Mind out of gutter, Jones.” She leaned back on the trunk of a Willow tree._

* * *

Betty was perfect on time. She had exactly five minutes to snatch an apple from the breakfast table, kiss the kids goodbye and wave at her mother. That is how she has been programmed from her young age. But today, the very programmer who set her clock on time, was waiting at the kitchen to talk to her. It turned out the kids had a holiday for some reason and they opted for being in bed late.

“How are you feeling Elizabeth?” Alice asked curtly. It’s the same tone she is used to hear from her childhood. Her mother always checking for homework, extra-curricular, ballet performance. Always pushing her to be the perfect one. That went to a maddening height once Polly became pregnant with twins and had to drop out of high school. It was like Alice’s nightmare had come true. She went to a level that she suggested Betty should go for a journalism degree in Riverdale Community College and be at home. Needless to say, she did not have any reason to listen to her mother and Polly supported her whole heartedly.

“I’m fine, Mom. Why do you ask?” she asked nonchalantly. It was not very often her mother asked about her well being without a follow up dose of lecture about her skin tan level or nutrient deficiency or lack of boyfriend or something that would get under her skin.

“It’s your first day back in field. Are you ready?”

She was surprised that Alice actually remembered this detail. She never showed any interest in her “way too dangerous” job.

She shrugged, “As ready as I ever will be.”

Suddenly the elder woman sniffled. She looked at her face curiously to see a stray tear escaping her eye.

“I don’t think I tell this to you as often as I should, but I love you, honey.”

It’s been ages that her mom called her honey. When was the last time? Not sure, but definitely her father was still with them and they were still that happy all-American dream family.

“I ever only had you and Polly as my own. And when Polly was…”, her voice broke but she quickly regained her composure, “I did not want you to stay away from me. I did not want to lose you, Elizabeth. I know I have never been a good mother. But trust me I tried. I have my own issues. Your father…” her jaws clenched tight.

Betty was so stunned that she forgot to take another bite of her apple. This was not the Alice Cooper she has seen for the better part of her life. Today’s Alice was reminding her glimpses from her childhood. The bedtime stories, the cupcake baking, the art projects. She has not seen her mother being this vulnerable as long as she can remember. Since their father left, Alice had retreated into a hard shell and refused to show her softer side ever again. Not even to her own daughters. She made it clear on every occasion that she hated weakness, she hated emotions and advised her daughters not to be an emotional fool. Then Polly did the very “mistake” their mother always warned them about and Alice went into a frenzy about it. But today, it was different. Today, she noticed how tired and old her mother looks. Suddenly she was stuck with the realization that this woman did everything to raise two children from a very young age. When their father left, she was a mere six years old. Their mother was what? Maybe in her mid-twenties. Since that day, she never missed a parent teacher meeting for any of her daughters, never missed a match when she or Polly was on the cheerleading squad, never missed a function where any of them performed. She was overbearing and annoying but she was always there for them. She never left, she never gave up. When Jason left Polly on her own with the twins, it was her mother who offered her and her children a roof and a job at The Register. Whenever she was drunk at a party in high school, her mother would have given a long lecture about under-age drinking but the next morning, the advils was always there on her night stand.

“I just…I can’t believe I almost lost you. I can’t believe that you will again be back on field today”, Alice was positively teary eyed now.

“Oh Mom”, she does not remember when she hugged her mother last time.

“I will be fine. I will be careful. You have raised us to be strong and independent. Polly never backed down from any fight. Neither would I. And, I love you too, Mom.”

She blinked back her own tears as her mother finally smiled in her arms and squeezed her hands, “I want you to know you are a great daughter, Elizabeth, the best aunt and the finest detective.”

* * *

They have been investigating this drug ring for a month now. Riverdale Southside has a bad reputation for gangs. The turf war sometimes become worse resulting in a few dead bodies from both rival gangs. The Serpents and The Ghoulies. They both deal in marijuana but until last month, there was no news of hard drugs. Starting last month, there has been a rise in the number of students being overdosed. No news of casualties so far, though. Up until Friday night. After a perfectly cooked Cooper family dinner and few rounds of board games, she retired to bed. She was restless about the missing Dorothy file. But she did not have much time in past few days to drool over the fact that it was _stolen_ from her drawer. She still had a notion that it should be somewhere in the office or at her home. She does not really remember taking it home though.

She woke up in dark with the angry buzzing sound of her phone. Sleepily, she fumbled for the source of noise and finally found it.

“Hello, Detective Cooper speaking.”

“Cooper, there’s one dead and two severely overdosed teens at a high school party. It’s in Thistlehouse.” Joaquin’s urgent voice came.

As if it was not bad enough teens being dead or hurt at a high school party, it had to be in the very house where her sister’s asshole ex-boyfriend lives. The man who refused to be anyway involved in the parenting of his own children. She knew that Jason had his baby brother and sister who were twins and in Senior year of high school. James and Rose. Joaquin confirmed that the dead teen was James. His two other friends were in hospital.

“Will be there in ten.”

She cursed under her breath thinking about the mere prospect of having to talk to the man who nearly destroyed her sister’s life and an undeserving father to her niece and nephew. But it was a duty call. Just before she slipped through the front door, she texted Jughead.

“ **Let’s test your bike’s speed. Meet me at Thistlehouse in ten.** ”

She knew that he was not asleep even if it was almost midnight. Every morning he keeps complaining about the sun being way too bright in early morning in Veronica’s guestroom. So, he has to wake up despite of sleeping late.

* * *

High school is a period in life when the kids should be enjoying their time. Not dying in a party. Although for Jughead, it was watching out for his baby sister and working two jobs at a time to have food on their table, he made sure that JB could appreciate her high school experience.

Thistlehouse was at the end of Riverdale town. Northmost end. After the castle like old house, there was a trail of forest and that was the border for Centerville, a neighbouring town. He cut the engine as the bike came to a screeching halt in front of the house. The area is secured with yellow tapes marking it as active crime scene. His engine noise attracted the attention of his favourite blonde who came smirking, “You are late. I bet I could have ridden it under ten minutes.”

He rolled his eyes and took off his helmet, running his fingers through wild mess of hair in hope to tame them in a manageable shape. For a moment he caught Betty staring at his hair longingly but before he could overthink it, she was walking back towards the house. He followed her. She shoved a pair of gloves in his hands and gave a pointed look. He scoffed but put them on anyways.

Inside, the scene was heart breaking. The body of a teenage kid with fiery red hair lying still on the ground of the large backyard. Clearly, this was where the party was hosted. The kegs are still standing. The stereo is silent but the overhead lights are still dazzling giving the whole area a dance floor vibe. Kids are scattered in groups. Reggie and Joaquin are already taking statements. He crouched down beside the dead body. The kid has drools at the corner of his lips. A party shirt is tied around his neck. His hair is askew. A very normal teenager, maybe a party-goer and enthusiastic drinker. Suddenly, he is reminded of Archie. The same muscular body and red hair. His heart clenched tight for the kid and his parents. As far as he understood, he was the main host of the party. His parents must be in the house somewhere. To say it’s a house is understament though. It’s a mansion. He has seen some ridiculously large real estate properties, thanks to Lodges and Blossoms, but this one easily beats all of them. It is an ancient structure. Looks like medieval age manors.

Betty tapped him on shoulder, “care to join me in the interrogation?”

He was actually dreading the part as they were all kids.

“Question the terrified kids? I think you are heartless enough to handle it alone”, he quipped. He fully expected her to catch his soft side and throw some jest. But she looked sheepish as she tilted her head and looked him in the eye, “I was going to talk to Jason Thistle. The owner of the house. The dead kid’s elder brother. Their parents died long ago.”

“Oh!” It’s still not going to be a very delightful experience. God! He cannot even compare the griefs of scared kids who lost their friend and the grief of an elder brother who lost his younger sibling. Instantly JB’s face comes into his mind and he shudders.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to”, she tells after a moment of hesitation. If he did not know better, he would have believed her. But not after knowing her for months. Now he can clearly see that her voice is set on edge.

“Cannot trust you to go alone with your lousy interrogation skills, Cooper”, he chuckled. She sniggered but there is a hint of relaxation on her facial muscles that confirmed his theory that she was not comfortable to face this Jason guy alone. He wondered what could be the reason.

Jason was waiting for them in a large room. He was seated on a sofa. His expression revealing nothing. It was set on stone. He has the same fiery hair as his brother.

“Jason”, Betty greeted.

The redhead looked up from where he was busy checking his phone. Then his lips twitched into a smile that only could be described as devilish. Not looking like one who just lost their kid brother.

“Well, if it’s not Polly Cooper’s sister.”

At that, he could see her face hardening. When she spoke, her voice was icy cold, “it’s Detective Cooper. I want you answer some questions.”

He smiles to himself, satisfied. That was his girl. Always ready to battle. Sassy and confident. _Um…did he just think_ his _girl? How pathetic is he? Thank God for not giving people the ability to read other’s mind._

“So, who is this gentleman and why should I answer anything in front of him?” Jason smirked in a bitter way. He was about to leave but Betty grabbed his hand to make him stay in place, “He is my partner. Now, we have some questions about your brother.”

He looked at her hand on his. It was gentle but firm. Like her tone. He liked it more than he cared to admit.

Jason was not very informative. He does not know if he was being non-cooperative intentionally or he actually was not aware of the nature of his brother’s party. He claimed that as per his knowledge, James did not do drugs.

“But teenagers”, Jason leaned back on sofa, fixing Betty with a sharp look, “You never know when they do drugs or get knocked up. Do you?”

He could see a vein in her temple throbbing. She took few moments to gather herself and shot back, “Figuring adults are not easy either. You never know who would turn out a coward and irresponsible asshole.”

When they were out of that creepy mansion, he noticed that her hand never left his. He cleared his throat to break the awkwardness. But it broke the spell too. She removed her hands and looked deep in thought. He knew that she was an introvert, just like him. But he could not help himself, “Are you okay?”

His concern was evident in his voice. She looked startled for a moment and he expected a quick reply of “of course” or “why would not I be”. To his surprise, the blonde smiled ruefully and shook her head, “Sorry. I kind of zoned out there.” The she took a deep breath as if to calm herself down and gather enough strength for what was coming next, “Jason is Noah and Sarah’s father.”

He blinked several times. Her words sinking in. Then a sudden rage flowed through him. It’s not like he did not witness his fair share of shitty parents. But here is Jason Thistle. A perfectly healthy and obnoxiously wealthy person, living a lavish life. All while Betty and her mother are struggling to raise the kids on their own. Those two kids are angels. They deserve all happiness in life. How could a man like Jason ignore them and how dare he joke about the teenage pregnancy of Polly Cooper! He might have shown his rage on his face and took a stormy step back to the house, because then Betty caught his arm.

“Let it go, Jug. He’s not worth it”, she said in a soft voice. Then her voice changed to more of a childlike excited squeal.

“Let’s race to the station. You take my car, I take your bike.”

He sneered, “Oh please! No way. You don’t stand a chance against me.”

She cocked her head to one side, “Let’s find out. Unless, you are afraid of losing.”

His competitive ego is stroke. He tossed his keys to her and she tossed him hers.

“What should we bet?” he asked innocently.

“If I win, you are not going to eat food and spread crumb all over my desk, ever. And you will never win, so no point discussing the stake.” She let those words float behind her as she jogged to his bike.

He called after her, “If I win, you have to go on a date with me. I promise to make it the worst date of your life.”

“Don’t think I don’t know that’s a reference from Brooklyn nine-nine”.

“Also, you will have to take back that old English teacher comment”, he grinned and sprinted towards her car.

As it turned out, they reached station at the same time. Though Betty insisted it was because he cheated and called her so many times that she had to actually stop and check her phone. He winked at her, “Everything is fair in love and war, Betts.” _Man, was she looking hot straddling his bike and wearing that helmet!_

* * *

Reggie confiscated some samples of the drug the kids were taking in the party. it was sent to the lab. Other two boys were on the way to recovery. Drug was found in their bloodstream but it was not lethal. On the other hand, James’s blood report displayed an alarming amount of chemical substances in his system, which if mixed with alcohol can turn fatal. James’s friends and twin sister all confirmed that he was a party enthusiast and had too many beers that day. But he never took drugs. The drug they were taking is ‘Jingle-Jangle’ as per their statement. It is a new one in market, mainly dealt from Riverdale Southside. They gave the name of the bar where you can go and talk to the owner if you need drug. They take cash and give you a straw full of jangle.

“The name sounds more like a Christmas tune than a drug name.” Jughead commented.

“Huh…now you ruined Christmas for me”, Reggie shuddered, “that’s horrible.”

“Why, Mantle? I thought your Christmas was ruined the day you discovered Santa is not real?” Jughead quipped.

Joaquin interjected, “I know his New Year was ruined over the fact that he accidentally kissed the girl’s dog full on mouth instead of the girl.”

“Hey! I was drunk out of my wits…okay?” Reggie protested strongly. But that did not prevent the other three from cracking in laughter.

The report came back on Jingle Jangle’s chemical analysis. It was definitely the same as in the blood sample of two teenagers who were in hospital. But it did not match the substance combination found in James’s blood. It seemed the drug he took was uniquely designed. Betty immediately knew that was a deliberate murder. Not an accident. Not an overdose.

But what was the motive? He was a well-liked person in school. He was the captain of football team while his sister was the captain of cheerleading squad. The twins were a popular duo among their fellow classmates. She went through every statement again. The party was big. But only handful of people were really close to the twins. Others were just invited via friends of friends.

Joaquin makes it a habit to record every statement and upload them so that even if they miss something at that moment, a slight tremble in the witness’s voice might give them away later. While she always respected his intention, she never thought it would be necessary in this case. Because these are teenagers. They are generally less complicated than full-grown adults. But as they were listening to the recorded statements for maybe tenth time, she caught something and rewound the recording. Others shot a confused look at her. She has many traits to be a detective in her gene and she acquired many in the process of being one. One of them is her sharp hearing. That was what caught her off-guard with her shooting. She should have heard the car. She forcefully focuses on the tape again as her mind started drifting back to her own shooting and her fists start clenching.

It’s a girl’s statement. Her name is Olivia. She was supposedly James’s girlfriend. She remembers seeing the girl. She had a blank look on her face, like she was not able to believe whatever was happening.

\- “Olivia, how long did you know James?”

\- “I knew him from high school, we met our Freshman year.” (“Just like us”, Reggie mouthed enthusiastically getting an eye-roll from Betty).

\- “Do you know if he was taking drugs? Maybe to enhance his performance or something?”

\- “No. No. He will never do that. I…”

She paused the tape, “It’s that tone she told that ‘I’. “

“What tone?” Joaquin asked, apparently dumbfounded.

“It’s like she caught herself before she gave something away.” She insisted.

“I think, she finished that statement with something like ‘I don’t believe James was taking drug.’”, Joaquin said thoughtfully.

She nodded, “she made that up last moment. Call her again. We need to talk to her.”

* * *

He wonders if her instincts are ever wrong. It is one of the most obvious qualities of a good detective and she has it in plenty. Further interrogation with Olivia revealed that she was on the cheerleading squad, but was threatened recently to be removed from the team because of her poor performance. She started taking Jingle-Jangle to increase her energy level. When James came to know that he was furious. He made her promise that she would never use again. He even gave her the money to pay back her dealer at once. She kept her promise. But after her encounter with James, Rose was curious and asked her what that was about. Rose is her best friend. So, she told her. And, she actually saw Rose in the bar, the last time she went to pay her money.

“James was the good one. He was the best. Why him? Oh God! Why him?” Olivia broke into tears. Betty sighed. He looked at her painful expression. His head was exploding. Sister killing her brother? It was not unheard of. But he could not think of a motive for Rose. She was close with her brother. Why would she kill him?

“Well, only Rose can answer that”, she nudged him in the rib and gestured to follow her to the car.

He asked, “Did I say that out loud?”

“I could practically hear you thinking!” she shook her head.

He has been in the passenger seat of the car while Betty driving before, numerous times. But today she crossed all speed limits. One time he could have sworn to feel the car being in almost perpendicular position. He boasts of being a guy who loves speed. Today he clenched his eyes shut and shouted, “Where’s the fire, Cooper?”

He did not know his words would come true like an unfortunate curse. As they reached Thistlehouse, they could see the thick black smoke. She started running at top speed, making him feel like an old person who huffed and was out of breath before even making it to the front porch. He knew that others are just behind them. But still he worried about her being alone in a house that caught fire. It was only his concern for her that made him reach the open front door.

The grand hall floor was covered in slimy liquid. The curtains on the windows were already on fire. On one end there was Rose, with a candle on her shaking hand. Her hair is a mess, she is all red and trembling. On the other end sat Jason, tied to a chair. Wide-eyed and horrified. Coughing and screaming at the top of his voice, “What the hell are you doing, Rosie?”

“Do not call me Rosie. Do not try to be my dad.” Rose hissed. “I hate you. I hate you so much. You deserve to die. It was supposed to be you.”

As he took in the scene in front of him, he realized that the intended victim was never James. It was always Jason which made sense in a lot of ways. He did not know what he did to Rose, but that man was a rascal. He first-hand witnessed that. James clearly was a casualty as he picked up the wrong drink. The girl was shaking. The floor is covered with, from the smell he gathered, petrol. If she drops the candle, that’s it. There was no stopping. A part of him wanted Jason to burn alive. Another part, the smaller but rational part tried to search something frantically that would dissolve the situation. Before he could come up with anything, Betty spoke.

“I know, he hurt you.” Her voice was so soft that even Rose stopped for a moment and looked at her. Then the young girl shook her head, whispering, “You don’t know. He is a controlling, manipulative asshole. He locked all our money so that we cannot go to college. James was getting a sports scholarship and this monster burnt that. He wants us to suffer. He is a sadist. He is _sick_ ”.

Last part came with violent sobs. His protective instinct urged him to walk over and engulf the shaking kid in a warm embrace. She was reminding him so much of his own sister. But Betty cut to him, “I know, sweetheart. He hurt my sister too. Really bad. But we need to make him pay for all bad things he did. If you drop this candle, we can’t do that, can we?”

The girl looked at Betty with glassy eyes and smiled painfully, “I will make sure, he pays.”

With that she dropped the candle. Before his brain could react, Betty was jumping right into the glowing flames to bolt to the other side of room. He could only grab Rose’s hand and drag her out before the large wooden door caught fire.

“Betty”, he shouted and tried to get past the door. But could not. It was too much heat. He heard the sirens of other cars and Reggie’s urgent voice calling Fire brigade. He felt every ounce of oxygen leaving his lungs, like he was trying to breathe underwater.

“Betty”, he croaked again, coughing aggressively from the smoke. Heat on his face, ash filling his lungs with each inhale, panic stealing his breath. His mind going crazy with the thought of losing her. Again. He could not live with that fact that he could not save her. He was right there with her. At that moment he felt like the desperate hero from some cliché romance movie based on star crossed lovers - those Veronica sheds tear for and he totally despises watching - who is trying to save his love of life despite knowing he will fail at the end.

“Jones, move”, came her loud voice from somewhere overhead. All of his senses alert at once. His heart thrumming with the new hope. He leapt aside as Reggie and Joaquin rushed to catch as limp and mildly burnt body of Jason dropped, wrapped in a heavy blanket, very much alive but senseless. He looked up to see her head poking out from an open window on first floor, she pulled herself out and stood on the ledge, squared her shoulders and jumped down. He was ready to catch her but she was just fine on her own as she landed on all four hands and feet and grunted. Her hair was tangled, skin raw red from the unbearable heat inside the house and she had soot all over her face and body. But she was okay. She was right there on front of him. He did not even know an adamant tear escaped his eye until she came up to him and smiled brightly, “Aww, you crying for me?”

Her voice had a teasing lilt to it but he could hear the undertone of affection there. He had an overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around her, to feel her heartbeat just to be assured that she is there with him. Instead, he bumped her lightly on shoulders and grinned, “Oh these are tears of pride, Betts! I taught you well.”

He can breathe again now.


	7. Chapter 7

Growing up in a small town and joining the Sheriff’s office there have a handful of drawbacks. Not being able to go undercover is one of them. As per Rose’s statement, she was able to procure the lethal dose of the drug from a Southside bar, White Wyrm. Apparently, the owner knows a guy or two and sets up the meeting happily with any interested customer. Betty felt a childish urge to play dress-up and have a makeover done to pose as some drug addict teenager. Which was not a plan approved by others. When the three detectives argued who could be presented as the most believable addict, Jughead simply cleared his throat from across the room, making them all turn to him.

He grinned and gestured towards himself, “I am ready to offer my service, guys.”

“Oh please” she scoffed, “addict and you?”

“Hold on”, Reggie gave him once over and nodded, “I can give him a makeover to make him look like rough.”

“I don’t need a makeover, Mantle. I’m basically born for the role of homeless addict.” His voice was light but something caught her attention. When she looked at him again, he was smiling, joking and bickering with Reggie and Joaquin about the believability of his appearance. But his smile did not quite reach his eyes. She suddenly remembered the story about his mother being abusive and an addict. He ran away from home with his sister. Maybe this _was_ actually for him. Her chest felt tightened at the thought of a teenager Jughead, vulnerable as ever, protecting his sister on road.

“Okay”, she suddenly commented. Loudly. Making everyone’s head whip at her direction.

“You are up, Jones. But let me tell you, this is not a game. You are wearing a wire and you are following my directions to the tee. No funny business.”

He nodded obediently, “Got it.”

She squinted her eyes at him, “I mean it, Jug.”

“Trust me”, he squeezed her hand in response.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

When he re-emerged in the squad room in his black wife beater and ripped jeans, her breath got caught in her throat. She has never seen him like this, rough, messy. His hair is always rumpled. But other than that, he maintains his aura of being a New York Times Bestseller author. Nothing fancy, he is always casual but soothing. Today’s look gave him a rough edge, she never thought existed. He has a very old crown shaped beanie on top of his head taming his otherwise wild array of hair. One unruly curl is still hanging on his soft blue eyes. Her eyes darted towards the snake tattoo in his right upper arm. It’s a black coiled snake, a crown on top of it. The colour of the tattoo bright against his olive skin. He is not bulky but he has muscles in all right places. Broad shoulder, hard chest, nice arm. A wrist band on his left wrist instead of the usual Rolex watch which has been a gift from Veronica. His fingers in both hands now sported a range of metallic rings giving his long fingers extra sexy look. _What is she doing?_ _Is she literally drooling over Jughead Jones?_ Joaquin wolf-whistled. Reggie’s mouth fell open. He shrugged with a boyish grin and told them, “Told you, I clean up nice.” Then he dropped his voice and whispered right into her ears, “Like the view?”

His voice sending a shiver through her spine. In an effort to hide her flustered state, she tried to play cool, “What view? You still have your clothes on.” _What the hell? She did not mean to sound it so dirty. In fact, why did she even mention clothes?_

“Planning to take off my clothes, Cooper?” he quirked one eyebrow playfully at her. She tried desperately to stop the blush from creeping up to her cheeks from her neck.

“You wish!” she finally managed to croak back and got herself busy with the untangling of the wire. As her hands worked mechanically, she let her mind drift to the dangerous territory. How would it feel to be wrapped in his strong arms? His fingers are slender in an artistic way. She wondered what they can do to her body. How would it feel to run her own fingers through his hair? She can bet his hair is soft and smooth. His eyes are so blue. Does the colour change with lust? What colour she would see if she looks into them while they are having…

“Betty? Betts…Hey, Betty.” he is waving his hand in front of her face now.

“What?” she fired back defensively.

“What are you doing?” he smirked. That same mischievous and youthful grin. It makes him look younger and annoying in a way that she feels the urge to punch him or kiss that expression off his face.

“Your wire. Let me set this”. Before she could embarrass herself more, she started fitting the wire inside his undershirt. The task seemed to demand a lot more concentration than she currently had considering she was so close to him. Her fingers touching his bare chest under his dress. His hands casually gripping on the desk, either side of her, effectively capturing her in between him and the desk. She was feeling hot all over and kept fidgeting with the wire.

He eyed her suspiciously, “Are you sure, you are okay?”

“I’m fine”, she squeaked.

Joaquin walked over to them and made a gesture of fanning himself, “whew! Really hot!” Jughead’s grin only got wider as she glared at her colleague.

Finally, the wire was set to place. She did a ta-da gesture awkwardly and released a breath she did not know she was holding.

* * *

They parked their van in an alley from where there is a clear view of the entrance and parking lot of White Wyrm, the Southside bar supposedly selling drugs as a side business. He breathed a few times to keep himself steady. It’s not his first rodeo. He has gone undercover as drunk, drug addict or homeless person many times to research for his novels. But this is the first time someone else is expecting something from him other than himself. Also, first time he is wearing a wire and an earpiece. His wire is secured under the layers of a tattered but heavy jacket Joaquin borrowed from Kevin’s theatre production. He was thankful that he packed his woollen crown beanie in his backpack. He does not wear it nowadays. But it was a new place and he needed that piece of childhood with him acting as a safety blanket. His ears and the small earpiece are not visible under the hat. His boots are worn out. His nails are mud-stained. His eyes are bloodshot from Reggie’s insistence on rubbing them continuously to make them look like an addict’s eyes. He rubbed his eyes so much, now he is suspecting a blurred vision. As he looked at himself in the mirror, his childhood memories flashed in his mind.

_Night of Christmas Eve. Everyone celebrating. They lost the apartment two days ago. FP did not come home in these two days. But he does not want to miss his dad in case he comes home and finds no one. There is no means to reach FP other than waiting for him near their old apartment. He is hiding in a dark alleyway with his little sister, trying to find food to feed her. Andrews family was off to Chicago for Christmas that year. Otherwise, Fred and Archie would have taken them to their house for sure._

Being homeless was ingrained in his blood. He does not need to pretend as one. He never found a place that he could call his home.

As he was leaving the van, Betty grabbed his arm. He spun around, confused. She fixed his beanie, which he remembers was perfectly set on his head, and whispered, “Be safe, Jug.”

There was something in her voice, a vulnerability he never heard before. But he did not have time to analyse her expression. All he wanted to do was to close the few inches gap in between them and press his lips on hers in a form of assurance. This was neither place nor time for that. Also, he felt like a Neanderthal for feeling the ridiculously primal urge to kiss her in this serious situation. So, he squeezed her hand in response and gave her a reassuring smile.

Inside the bar was exactly what he imagined it would be. Dim light, crap music, dingy seating arrangement. The bartender flashed him a flirting smile. She is of JB’s age at maximum, wearing a crop top showing too much skin. She has orange streaked hair, a lip piercing and arms covered in tattoos. He produced a crumpled bill and ordered for the cheapest whiskey. He avoids alcohol consciously because he fears that he is not that much different from his father at heart. And he has every chance to go down the same path that FP had once visited. Despite of his sister’s insistence that he was not their father, Archie’s assurance that he was too good to be wasted like that and Veronica’s confidence that he was a dependable person, he could not trust himself. Not with liquor at least. However, today is different. He has tasted alcohol when he used to go undercover for the sake of his role play. He started nursing his drink slowly while striking up a conversation with the girl behind the counter. It was easy enough considering the girl, who introduced herself as Cherry, a fake name for sure, flirted shamelessly with him. He could hear Reggie sneering over his earpiece at the not so subtle hints Cherry kept giving, but ignored that.

“So Cherry, tell me, do you have anything interesting here? to make my time worthwhile?”

“Why, Rick, I can offer myself”, she replied in a sultry voice as she batted her eyelashes at him. He cringed internally thinking the girl is his sister’s age and at his ridiculous false name but kept up his charade. Betty’s stern voice came over the sound of Joaquin’s whistle, “Focus Jones.”

He gritted his teeth. He is fine focussing with any number of girls trying to seduce him but not with the blonde’s voice so close to his ears. He cut to the point.

“Hey, I have heard about the little energy boost available in the bar. Can you help me with that first? Maybe that will help my performance, you know”, he finished the sentence with a wink and with Betty groaning in his earpiece. Cherry looked overtly pleased with herself as she ushered him to a corner in the bar where a tall man was sitting alone in a booth. He had beer bottles lined up in front of him and was sipping one currently but looked impossibly sober.

“Malachi, this is Rick. He is looking for special energy boosters”, Cherry offered.

The man, named Malachi, looked him straight in the eye. He has curly hairs and a build of an athlete. His eyes are piercing, but while one eye was full of expression other eye was set in stone. For a moment, Jughead lost his voice, then he managed a smile and leaned to speak to him, “Hey, man.”

Malachi’s expressive eye danced in amusement startling him to the core with his deep but very cold voice, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jones.”

* * *

Betty jolted upright in her position. How could the dealer possibly know him? He is a bestseller author in New York, not really a familiar face for drug dealers. He is in Riverdale only for few months and his movements have always been restricted to Northside. How does Malachi know him? But that does not matter at this moment. The operation has gone horribly wrong. Now he is inside a shady bar alone with a possible gang of drug dealers.

“Abort the mission. Now.” Reggie shouted in the mike, his voice on edge with panic. She could practically hear Jughead wince at the volume. There was a soft click of gun unlocking in their incoming audio feed. She did not have the time to second guess herself before she leapt out of the van and flee for the bar entrance.

She took a few moments to adjust her vision in the low light of the bar. She could see Jughead struggling against a group of three large men all wearing Ghoulie jackets. One of them is holding a knife on his throat. next thing she noticed is that a tall man, probably Malachi, is holding a gun directly in her direction. Pointed at her chest. She froze at the doorway. It hit her like a déjà vu. Shooter’s left hand holding a gun directly at her chest. And the eye. That day she saw only one eye of the person behind the trigger but she is pretty sure that same stone eye is staring at her right now with another normal one. _This_ is her shooter.

“Welcome Detective Cooper”, Malachi’s voice is calm and playful. From the corner of her eyes she saw Jughead still trying to make himself free. The sharp knife is dangerously close to his Adam’s apple. She looked at him and forced all her will to make him look back at her. He did. Their eyes locked. She tried to assure him with her gaze. She does not know if it worked but he relaxed a little. She returned her gaze to the man in front of her.

“It’s unfair that you know my name but I don’t know yours.”

“Do you really want me to believe detective that while I was introduced to your boy toy here, you were not listening to the audio?” he barked a laugh and nodded towards the twisted wire discarded on the floor.

“So, Malachi”, she started nonchalantly, “Why do you want to kill me?”

“You mean other than the fact that you are trying to shut down my little business?” Malachi replied with feigned thoughtfulness.

“Yeah. Other than that. Why did you shoot me when I did not even know about your _business_?” she asked point blank.

If the man was surprised, he did a very good job of hiding it. He tutted twice and shrugged casually, “See, that’s not me. I was simply doing a job I was paid for.”

“Who paid you?” she asked without losing a beat.

“You ask too many questions, princess.” The man’s grip on the trigger tightened. She opened her mouth to say something but a gunshot stopped her. A round of bullets came flying through the back window and several of them hit Malachi’s body. He crumpled on the floor with blood spattering in every direction.

She wanted to shout, No. This was possibly the only link to the actual person who wanted her dead. She was not ready to lose that lead. But her body was not moving. Every limb in her body went numb. She is not able to voice anything. She can feel her legs shaking like she is not in herself. She hates this. She hates every moment of this. Involuntarily hot tears are prickling in her eyes and she does not have the strength to hold them back. Just before she collapsed on the ground, she felt two strong arms wrapped around her. She recognised the smell of fresh coffee and cigarette. She wondered many times how Jughead could always smell of coffee even after having a meal of burgers and milkshakes. He was murmuring in her ears, “It’s okay. Betts, It’s okay.”

For the first time in her life, she was willing to let go. She was willing to lean on someone else and believe them to take care of her. She was ready to let the tears slip in front of him. She was prepared to accept the comfort of his arms. And it terrified her. She could feel the crack in the walls that she so carefully constructed around her. She could feel her guards coming down.

* * *

He tried to express his support through the tight embrace. He was taken aback by the fact that Malachi was Betty’s shooter. He could see her face twisting in indescribable pain and agony when the only lead on her shooting was shot down in front of her eyes by her team who was oblivious to the fact. He never saw her so hurt. Not when Sean broke up with her. Not when she fought with her mother and the kids. Not when she actually got shot. Betty Cooper was an enigma, a fighter. And he was thoroughly fascinated by her strength. He knew that she was much stronger than she gives herself credit for. But everyone needs a comforting shoulder at times. It only proves that they are human. The amount of pressure she places on her shoulders, he knew it was only a matter of time before she broke under it. He wanted to be there for her. Knowing her, it was possible that she would blame herself for showing her weakness. He wanted to tell her that feeling pain was not a sign of weakness. That was exactly what he was trying to do when he wrapped her in his arms. She did not jerk away. She let loose as she fell against his chest.

She mumbled a quick thanks as she composed herself in next couple of minutes. He was grateful that she has given a chance to him to hold her. The bar was surrounded by Police force, confiscating the drug sample, arresting the employees. The girl, Cherry looked at him with a disbelieving expression on her face as Reggie ushered her to Police van in handcuffs.

“You might have broken the poor girls’ heart”, Betty teased. And he knew that she was okay. So, he made a show of hurt expression, “Actually, it was me who was heartbroken when she handed me over to Malachi. How could she? Did that seven minutes in bar with Jughead Jones mean nothing?”

“I bet it scarred her for life”, she mused and walked away from him to look around the bar. He stared at her retreating form for a few moments. A voice in his head, surprisingly similar to Veronica’s, telling him that he was in trouble.

He shook his head to get rid of any stupid notions and joined others quickly. They scanned through the bar and the hallway leading to a small office for any sign of drugs. There were none. The office door was unlocked and the table inside had nothing but papers with records of daily transactions.

Him and Betty poured over the papers. They stood side by side, their arms brushing. He tried hard to concentrate on the papers in front of them.

“Wait, is this…?”

“Yup, an unusually large amount from selling Chamomile Tea.”

“Do you think…?”

“Yup”, this time she emphasized on the p. “This is definitely something to do with drug sales.”

“I can’t even imagine this place sells herbal Tea.”

“Because, they don’t.”

“If this is actual records for drug sale, do you think the initials are for…”

“Customers who brought drugs. Yes. And if we find all records…”

“We can verify if Rose and Olivia’s initials are there. Also look for any other familiar initials”, this time he cut her mid-sentence as he realized their plan.

Reggie was leaning against the door frame with a mild scowl on his face. He grumbled, “You guys know right, this is spooky as hell when you finish each other’s sentences?”

“I think it’s kinda _cute_ ”, Joaquin commented while continuing his search through the wall shelves for any proof.

Betty huffed, “And I think you are spending too much time with Kev.”

* * *

Rest of the day passed in examining the records found and interrogating the employees of the bar. The bar was owned by a member of the Serpents gang. But he was not actively involved in the drug deal. The employees knew only about Malachi and a few of his associates who were regularly present in the bar. The bar owner got a cut of the money from selling of drugs. Malachi and his people cooked the drug themselves in an underground room, beneath White Wyrm’s parking space. They customized it as per customer’s choice, that was how Rose was able to get her hands on the lethal mix of the chemicals. They found the initials for Olivia and Rose on the days they claimed to have bought the drugs. Police also seized the ingredients and equipment used in making the drugs.

It was quite late in the evening when they were finally wrapping up for the day. Jughead already had two rounds of snacks break in between but as he was shoving his hands in his jacket, his stomach grumbled again. Betty shot him an amused look from her chair.

“What?” he asked defensively. She shook her head but the corners of her lips were still twitched upwards. He was searching for some comment on her eating habits when his phone vibrated. At the same time, he faintly registered the phone in Betty’s desk started ringing. His caller was Veronica.

He did not know why she was calling at this odd time. She knows his timings perfectly. Generally, as soon as he enters home, Veronica waltzes into the living room demanding the day’s updates. She recently has hired a manager in her speakeasy that helps her to maintain a reasonable time. It also allows her to visit New York whenever something comes up there.

“Hey Ron”.

“Jug…I…there’s…”, her voice trembled uncharacteristically. He was concerned immediately.

“What is it?”

Only heavy breathing from other end. He was about to grab his bag and dash out of the door. Betty’s voice rooted him in his spot, “There’s been a murder in La Bonne Nuit.”

He could hear Veronica release a muffled sort of scream over phone.

“I’m coming”, he promised. “Do you need to keep talking?”

“No. God, no. You’ll be on bike. I…I’m fine. Just be safe. And be quick.” The raven-haired woman blurted out in one breath and disconnected the line. He looked at Betty who was already getting ready to leave. She gave him slightest of a nod and he was out of the door, speeding towards the speakeasy.

The area outside Pop’s back door was that of a usual crime scene, yellow tapes, twinkling siren lights, scattered uniforms, crowd gathering and whispers. This was the main entrance for La Bonne Nuit. He pushed through the crowd to get to the entrance but one uniformed officer stopped him, “Sorry Sir. You are not allowed inside.”

He could not see Veronica inside the diner. Maybe she was underground, in La Bonne Nuit. He tried to reason with the officer, “I need to get inside. My friend is inside.”

“I’m sorry. But the rule is rule.” The officer was steadfast in his duty. Any other time he would have been aggressive, shouting to let him allow through the doors. But today, the dead body in front of the door distracted him momentarily. He knew this man. He was the popular doorman for Veronica’s speakeasy. She talked about this man when she hired him almost six months back. The man started attracting crowd, specially young ladies. She was quite satisfied with her choice. There was even a time, Archie felt insecure by Ringo, the doorman. Jughead had to convince his best friend that Veronica was more matured than to fall for a handsome doorman. Veronica knew nothing about that drama, of course. The body was lying on its back, the bullet hit him straight on the head, killing him instantly. After a quick observation of the body, he felt impatient again. He would have started badgering the officer some more but Betty and Reggie saved him from that. Their car came to a screeching halt and she jumped out of the driver’s seat even before Reggie could unbuckle his seatbelt.

“Come with us, Jug.”

The officer gave him a suspicious look before ushering all three of them inside. He mumbled a thanks to her which she acknowledged with a nod.

Veronica was sitting on a cushioned chair, shaking despite of being wrapped in a warm shawl. Her head hung low. Her hair little messy. When she looked up at the noise of their footsteps, he could see her mascara was ruined. She was crying. He has seen her shedding tears only a handful of times. He felt horrible for not being able to come earlier. He closed the distance between them in three long strides and pulled her into an affectionate hug. She tried to steady herself clutching his shoulders tightly.

Nothing was misplaced inside. There were shocked and distraught customers everywhere but otherwise it seemed pretty normal. Beside Veronica was another brunette with perfect figure. She looked like a model with fancy dress, high heels and shiny hair. She looked bored as if the whole procedure was giving her a headache. By the time Betty and Reggie came back after a round of inspection, Veronica was already back to her immaculate self. She was still clutching one of his hands to prevent the shaking of her own hands. But other than that, she was mostly put together.

“I’m so sorry, V”, Betty started in a sympathetic tone. Veronica just bobbed her head up and down wordlessly.

“I would require the statements of all eye witnesses. So, who were with the victim when he was shot?”

Veronica took few moments to gather her thoughts and then when she spoke her voice was steady.

“Today we had happy hours between seven to nine. Ringo was covering the entrance and he was responsible to deny entry to any hillbilly because on days like these I prefer the entries to be restricted. The safety of the customers is my first priority. I was busy working the books in my back office when Ava informed me that there was a shooting. Apparently, he was at the entrance the whole time. Someone from the crowd shot him.”

Suddenly Veronica looked very uncomfortable and the pressure of her nails on his palm increased, “Oh my God!”

“Ronnie?” he asked, unsure.

“I need to inform Erin, his girlfriend. I need to call her. Oh my God”, she shut her eyes tight. Reggie stepped in before it gets out of hand and politely offered to deal with the victim’s family himself. Veronica looked relieved as she dug out Ringo’s files and gave Reggie the emergency contact information for his girlfriend. Betty turned to face the other woman dressed in all black lace, “I’m assuming you are Ava, the manager here?”

“That’s right”, she replied airily.

“Where were you at the time of shooting?”

“Oh actually I was right outside the door. I went out to check on things. That’s when it happened.”

“You are an eye witness?” Betty straightened up.

She merely shrugged. He could not suppress his question any longer, “you did not happen to have a look at the shooter, did you?”

“Sorry handsome”, she leaned a bit closer to him and looked at him with hooded eyes, “I was as shocked as everyone else.”

Betty gently pushed her back from him with a stoic face, “Veronica, do you guys have a camera at the entrance?”

Veronica’s head snapped up at this, “Yes”. She said breathlessly, “I totally forgot. We have a camera at the entrance. I will check the feed right now.” She released his hand and hurried back to her office.

Ava was still standing quite close to him. As soon as Veronica was out of earshot, Betty turned to Reggie and asked, “did you get a hold of the girlfriend?”

“Yes. I asked her to come to the station”, he replied.

“good”, she nodded. Then she looked at Ava with a clear look of disdain and commented, “you and Veronica are also coming with us.”

Jughead eyed her with disbelief, “Why does Ron need to go to station? She was not even at the scene.”

“Yes. But she is the owner of the establishment. We need her statement.”

“She already gave her statement.” He argued.

Betty sighed, “Sit this one out, Jones. You are too close to this.”

“Is she really a suspect?” he was getting a bit irritated.

“Not yet”, came her clipped reply.

Veronica came back with a tab playing the camera feed around the time of shot. They huddled around her. It seemed to be a confrontation going on with a pale looking guy who was trying to force his way into the establishment. Ringo pushed him back and the man looked furious. He was shouting something but the sound is not there. A few moments later, the body of Ringo crumpled on the ground with horrified gasps from the crowd around. The camera did not capture the shooter. They were out of frame.

Reggie paused the video and asked Ava, “where were you again?” She was not in the video. She gave a flirty smile to Reggie and put her finger over his on the device, “I was right there.” She gestured at a silhouette somewhere in between the door and Ringo’s back.

“Alright. Let’s give it to the tech team for enhancement. Let’s hope it shows your face after enhancement, Ava”, Betty offered in a sickly sweet voice.

“we need you both to come to the station with us.” Reggie commanded.

Veronica got up tiredly. Jughead did not let go of her hands. They gathered in two police cars and he left his bike parked in Pop’s parking for the sake of being with his friend.

* * *

As per the cop’s report who responded to the 911 call, Ringo was engaged in a verbal spar with the pale looking man and the man threatened to come back with a gun. “ _You are dead, Ringo_ ”, were his last words before he was shoved back into the waiting crowd. Ava identified the man as one of their regulars, John Vega. He owns a casino in Greendale. He frequents the speakeasy regularly. Joaquin set out to pick him up for questioning without further delay. Betty continued her conversation with Veronica.

“Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Ringo?”

“Honestly B, I’m coming up empty. I did not know Ringo well to comment on his personal life though. While hiring, I checked his records and he had no criminal records. That’s all I know of him. That and he was a good employee. Truthful, loyal.” The raven-haired woman offered. She was more composed now.

Reggie talked to Ringo’s girlfriend in the meantime. Erin was a sweet looking girl. As Reggie broke the news to her, she fell on her knees, he had to catch her to prevent a full fall. She was with Ringo for last four years. They escaped their hometown together. Then they moved from one area to another until six months ago when he got the job in La Bonne Nuit. He was having a steady income here. He was happy here.

“I cannot believe he left us”, the girl said in between sobs.

“What do you mean by us?” Reggie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Are you pregnant?”

She nodded, “two months.”

Reggie offered to drive her home. Jughead saw from the pantry as the detective consoled and comforted the distraught girl and guided her to the elevator.

“He is not as tough as he projects, you know”, Betty’s voice came from behind him. She was filling her signature ceramic coffee mug. He smirked, “yeah, I know. I think that applies to everyone though.”

She squinted at him, “What are you implying, Jones?” Her face was serious but her voice carried a certain sort of playfulness. He felt a little emboldened as he approached her and reached across her for sugar. Their faces were inches apart. She did not move back, neither did he. Her breath fanned on his face. His left hand, the one rested on counter was too close to her waist. Her body trapped between his body and the counter. Her green eyes locked with his.

He whispered, “Every snake has a soft underbelly, so does every tough detective.” She placed her left palm on his chest gently and opened her mouth to say something. At that precise moment Joaquin’s heavy footsteps were heard and both of them jumped apart.

She was trying to calm her heartbeats frantically. The close proximity left her all dizzy in a good way. She did not need the urge to flinch away as she generally does from other people. Her stomach had a new warm sensation growing inside it.

“Why are you so red, Cooper?” Joaquin’s tall frame appeared on the pantry door. _Damn it._

“I…it’s hot in here”, she supplied weakly, begging her voice to come out as natural.

He raised one eyebrow in amusement and looked at Jughead who was concentrating very hard on stirring his coffee.

“Okay”, he grinned, “John Vega is here, waiting to be questioned. Are you done enjoying the heat or should I interrogate him alone?”

She glared at her colleague, “I’m coming with you.”

“As you wish, Boss”, he motioned her to go first. She could not dare to steal a glance at the raven-haired man. She held her head straight and walked out of the pantry.

John Vega was sitting in the room calmly. As soon as the detectives entered, he held up his hands, “I did not do it.”

“Well, you sure gave him a death threat moments before he was shot”, she pointed out.

“That was part of a plan. It was a false threat.” The man shook his head.

Joaquin piped in, “You guys were playing truth or dare?”

“Let me explain. We were business partners.”

“Excuse me, what business exactly is that?” she interjected.

“Okay so we were about to start a new venture. A night club in Greendale. I had the money. Ringo had the connection and charm I needed. We talked about it when I visited the speakeasy. That was the main reason I used to go there under the pretence of getting a drink. We talked it out. We behaved as if we were enemies in public so that nobody suspects him joining me as a partner.”

“Why the secrecy?” Joaquin asked with a furrowed brow. Frankly, it all seemed quite unnecessary for a doorman to leave his job.

“Ringo brought good business to La Bonne Nuit. Our nightclub would be a prominent business rival to their establishment when it starts. We all know Ms. Lodge has the connection to stop him from leaving if she got the wind that he was joining me. So, he talked about leaving the job showing a personal cause. He said that he had to move back to his hometown.”

“He already resigned?” she confirmed.

John nodded, “yeah, he handed his resignation day before yesterday. This month was going to be his last month in the job.”

“Do you have any proof of what all you just said?” Joaquin inquired. The man pulled out his phone and opened a text message thread before handing it over to them. There are hundreds of texts back and forth. But the gist is clear. They were indeed discussing about their new business venture. Day before yesterday Ringo confirmed that he officially resigned.

“Did his girlfriend know about this?” Joaquin asked.

John shrugged, “Erin? Probably not. Ringo wanted to surprise her on their anniversary. That’s sometimes around end of this month. Why?”

She rubbed her temples lightly. Things are not looking so good for Veronica. Stopping Ringo and taking down a future business rival even before it can flourish is a strong motive. A classic Lodge empire move. She knew Veronica well enough to know it in her guts that the woman was not guilty. She hated her father’s criminal influences and wanted to be out of that. But the law needs to be followed in any case. And in this case, Veronica Lodge has just become their prime suspect.

* * *

Veronica was still there in the waiting area. It was late at night. Betty could see her lying on a wooden bench with her head supported against Jughead’s thigh while he had his legs propped up on the table and thumbing through a book. Her eyes are closed but she is not quite asleep yet as evident from her toes twitching every now and then. She took a minute to absorb the scene. A perfectly innocent and endearing scene featuring two friends. For a moment she longed for this kind of friendship in her life. Yes, she had Kevin. But could she just lean on him in such a stressful situation and forget the worries? Maybe that’s more to do with her than with her friend. She refuses to be the one who appears weak. But she remembered the morning’s events when she collapsed in Jughead’s arms. It felt so good accepting someone’s comforting embrace. She bit her lips to prevent her mind going into further analysis of her and Jughead’s relationship.

“Hey Veronica”, she entered the waiting area. The other woman jolted upright. Jughead threw back the book in his satchel.

She prepared herself for the harsh truth. It has never been tough before. She never had a close enough friend before.

“Veronica, I’m sorry. We need you to answer few more questions. Can you come with me to the interrogation room?”

“What’s happening?” he asked holding Veronica’s hand.

She swallowed. She does not want to lie to him.

“It’s standard procedure. We got some new information.”

Joaquin appeared beside her and swiftly took control, “Hey Veronica. No worries. Just few questions. Follow me?”

The Latina girl reluctantly followed him out of the area after she exchanged a look with her friend. Once she was out of earshot, Jughead turned to Betty and demanded, “Do you want to tell me what’s really going on?”

“I need you to calm down. Jug”, she said sympathetically. She should have been annoyed. She did not need to share any information with him. She already told him to stay out of this case. For some reason, the only emotions she felt were affection and empathy. She explained the situation to him briefly. He listened with a look of disbelief on his face, “You don’t really think Ron can do that. Do you?”

“I’m a cop. I need to explore all possibilities before I rule one out.”

“She’s your _friend_ , goddamn it”, he borderline shouted with exasperation. She instinctively placed her palm on his cheek to calm him down. Strangely, he relaxed immediately and leaned on her touch.

“Do you trust me?” she asked softly. He nodded, blinking rapidly, probably to hold back tears.

She felt her own eyes becoming moist without any apparent reason. Her thumb caressed his skin absentmindedly, “I’ll do my everything to find the shooter. But I need you to believe me.”

“I do”, he confessed in a small voice.

She almost reached her free hand to brush the curl from his forehead when someone cleared their throat loudly. She pulled back her hands as if they were burnt. His head jerked up towards the noise. It was Reggie, his gaze flickered from her face to Jughead’s, suspiciously. She squared her shoulders and acknowledged her colleague, “Reggie. You dropped Erin at her home?”

The man nodded, “yeah. Listen, DeSantos was asking for you. Do you want _me_ to join him instead?”

“No. I’ll come”, she glanced towards Jughead once. He exhaled sharply and plopped back on the bench, running his hand over his face. She bit the inside of her cheek and left with Reggie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like it, don't forget to leave a kudos. Also, please let me know what do you think about this fic in the comments section. Thank you all :)


	8. Chapter 8

He felt suffocated inside the station. Suddenly the area felt cramped. He went outside for a smoke. It was almost midnight. But he knew that Jellybean would be awake. She is a night owl just like her brother. Back at home, they sometimes play video games at this hour. He could not call Archie, not yet. Not until Veronica is clear of all suspicions and they are in a safe place. But he needed to talk to someone. His sister picked up on second ring, “Hey bro!” She sounded excited.

“Hi JB”.

Immediately her voice became serious with concern, “Is everything okay, Jug?” He mentally cursed himself. Since when he became so incapable of masking his feelings from his baby sister? It was hard to believe it was the same little girl who once thought that her brother was the real Santa.

“All fine. There are some things with Ronnie. There has been a murder in her establishment.”

He found himself opening up to her. Telling her everything. It felt good. A burden was lifted from his chest. She is a sensitive girl, way matured than any other people of her age. She talked to him for a long time. She assured him that it was going to be fine. There was no need to worry.

“We all know Ronnie. The detectives will understand that she is innocent. I just hope they get it through their heads sooner than later.”

“That makes two of us, kiddo.”

He could practically hear his sister’s eyeroll. He smiled vaguely.

***

_As soon as he opened the front door of their beaten trailer, little JB came bouncing on her feet. Two pigtails swaying with each step. When she noticed him alone, her brows creased, “Is not Ronnie coming?” She just completed seven last month. Veronica has always been her favourite babysitter whom she preferred to refer as friend. She would take little JB with her for spa, nail painting and then video games. He has told his friend repeatedly not to spoil his sister in a way that their family cannot afford. Veronica always dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hands, “Am I not your family, Jug?” He had to admit that she was more family for the Jones siblings than their own parents. It was a hard time. It has always been for them. FP was always out doing god-knows-what business. Gladys was still in rehab. They were out of money to pay for any apartment. So, FP settled them in his old trailer in a trailer park surrounded with people from FP’s biker gang. It was a rough part of town. He never wanted his friends, specially a delicate one like Veronica to come down here. But she always insisted to come and get JB whenever they planned a girls’ day (if a day out with a seven year old can be classified as that). Fred was always ready to have Jones children in his house. But Jughead knew better. Fred’s business was also not going well. He did not want to worry the old man._

_He looked at his little sister who was trying to read his face for any sign why Veronica was not there. He exhaled heavily. Hiram Lodge has just been arrested for money emblazoning charges. With his level of connection, it would not be very long before he gets out of jail. But it was a powerful blow to the Lodge family. Their business. Specially to Veronica. She vaguely knew about her father’s illegal activities. But it was the first time she was seeing it clearly. So many people lost their money. Some of them took their own lives as a result. She blamed herself for all their losses. He could not tell all these to his baby sister. But he did not want a blatant lie knowing that Veronica will be miserable for foreseeable future._

_“Um…Ronnie’s family has some urgent issues. She could not come today.” He offered ruffling his sister’s hair._

_Jellybean nodded in understanding, “I hope it does not get worse.” Their own family issues taught them that most of the times it gets only worse._

_“That makes two of us, kiddo.”_

_The inky-haired girl rolled her eyes hard in a way of implying ‘Oh please! I’m not a kid!’._

* * *

Veronica looked surprised, not scared. Betty did not like the idea of mentally pressurizing her with different questions. She is not a hardcore criminal. That is the more reason she did not want Reggie in the room questioning her. He has a tendency of banging his fist on table and shouting while interrogation. It helps with experienced criminals who are insensitive to any kindness. But it would only damage Veronica’s mental state.

“Did you know that Ringo resigned?”

She frowned, “Resigned? No. I did not get any intimation regarding that. Why would he resign though?”

From her expression, Betty could tell that she was telling the truth. Joaquin seemed to be under the same impression. He offered politely, “He was planning to open his own business.”

“Oh”, Veronica’s eyes widened. “He did not tell me anything.”

“Do you think he could have talked to anyone else regarding his resignation?”

Veronica bit her lower lip, thinking hard, “Maybe Ava? I don’t know.”

Betty and Joaquin looked at each other briefly. Then she declared that Veronica can go home now. The raven-haired woman tiredly nodded. Her face was pale, without makeup, hair messy. The detectives headed towards the room where Ava was waiting looking bored as ever. Betty glanced once to see Jughead escorting Veronica out of the station.

She did not like Ava from the start. The woman was constantly hitting on Jughead. Or Reggie, for that matter. She did not bother about her flirting with Reggie though. Not that she minded her flirting with Jughead. _That’s definitely not her reason to dislike Ava._

“So, Ava” Joaquin called her as they both pulled out chairs to sit. The woman looked at them totally uninterested.

“Ringo told you that he was leaving?” Betty questioned.

She shifted in her chair uncomfortably, “yeah. He did.”

“And why did you not inform Ms. Lodge about that?”

“I was trying to negotiate with him. Trying to retain him”, she answered fidgeting with her nails.

Her twitchy behaviour told Betty that she was lying. About what though she did not have an idea. But she was relieved that Veronica was all clear now. She did not have any motive.

“Why did you try to retain him?”

“That’s my job. Is not it?” Ava’s chin jutted out in a way of challenging.

She was sure that was not it. Ava had some other reason to retain Ringo. What could be it? Her mind started running thousand miles a minute. They did not have any hard proof. The only way to make a case is to make Ava confess to the murder.

A knock on the door interrupted them. It was Reggie, “The tech team sent back the enhanced video.”

“Oh thank God!” she exclaimed. If Ava’s face is not seen in the frame that would be a solid hint that she was not telling the truth. Reggie handed her a coffee. It was one in the morning and after the last 24 hours, she really needed it. She took the cup gratefully. Sometimes, she tends to forget that Reggie is actually a sweet person who cares about her. If only he could do that without being aggressively flirtatious at times, she would have been happy to have a friend like him. Joaquin kept Ava busy with some more general questions while she watched the video with Reggie.

Ringo shoved a lot of people away from the entrance. Mostly gorgeous ladies were allowed to enter without any hassle. But he was doing his job efficiently. The Tech managed to enhance to a wider angle, so Ava’s face was now clear in the video feed as soon as she came out of the door. Betty paused the video, “Guess, she is not the shooter, after all.”

Reggie nodded with a scowl and hit the play again. Within moments they saw Ringo’s body crashed on the ground lifeless. She sat straight. Something caught her eyes. She replayed last five seconds again. There is a flash just before the bullet hit Ringo.

“What was it? Reflection of the firing?” Reggie pondered.

She was not sure. But replaying it again helped. It was a spark, in the nearest light post. The bullet hit the light post before it landed on Ringo.

“Ricochet”, she declared excited. “Ringo was not the intended target.”

Reggie punched the desk unable to contain his energy and grimaced when the sturdy wood table was not kind to his knuckles, “So who was the actual target?”

She looked back at the video and it was as clear as daylight in a moment. The shot was fired shortly after Ava stepped out. If the bullet went straight it would have hit her in the chest. The target was Ava. Question is why.

* * *

Both of them burst in to the interrogation room making Joaquin alarmed enough to draw his weapon. Reggie grinned, “Relax man. These are the allies.” Betty bit back her smile as Joaquin rolled his eyes at Reggie.

“Ava, you need to tell me why you tried to retain Ringo.”

“I told you. It was my job.”

She slammed both her fists on the table to emphasize her seriousness and punctuated every word through gritted teeth, “You were the target Ava. The bullet was for you.”

“Me?” the woman almost knocked down her glass of water in shock. “Who would try to kill me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it will make sense once you start telling the truth.” She kept her cold gaze fixed on the woman’s face. The face changed colours of emotions. There was disbelief, clouded by suspicion and finally a resigned expression settled in as Ava slumped back on her chair, “We were in a relationship. Ringo tried to finish it when he resigned. He said that he could not leave Erin for some reason. But I threatened him that I will tell Erin myself. I sent an anonymous letter to her when he was stubborn in his decision.”

Her jaws clenched, “Did you know Erin was two months pregnant?”

The brunette faltered for a moment, then spoke dryly, “I guessed something in that line.”

“Great!” she murmured and turned back. The coffee already started to taste bitter. Joaquin and Reggie jogged behind her to catch up.

“So, it was Erin, the girlfriend”, Joaquin sighed.

“Yeah. Erin”, she confirmed.

Reggie grumbled, “Man! I consoled her for her loss.”

“Well, for what it’s worth Reggie, she lost her boyfriend and father of her child. She did not want to actually kill _him_.”

Reggie looked a little relieved as if wasting his goodwill on a murderer was the most disturbing thought for him at this moment.

* * *

Erin was loading her truck when they arrived at her address.

“Going somewhere?” Joaquin called out. She glanced at them and stepped back from the car slowly.

“Planned to go back to my parents. I guess that’s not happening?” a rueful smile tugged at her lips.

Joaquin gestured for her to turn around. She obliged.

“You figured everything out?”

Betty nodded. Despite of being a murderer, she felt a softness for Erin. She has always tried to see the human behind the killer, specially in the crimes of passion. Her minor in Criminal Psyche compels her to analyse their thought process.

“Where did you get the gun?”

Erin did not protest as she was cuffed, “Ringo gave it to me for self-protection. Ironic, right?”

Ironic, indeed.

* * *

Veronica tossed and turned for almost an hour before he forced her to take a pill and sleep. He texted Archie briefing about the incident and JB updating about their return to home. He could not sleep though. The nights at police station from his teenage days flashed through his mind. He made a fresh mug of coffee and settled on the couch with remote, fully prepared to enjoy some serial killer documentary.

There was a soft knock at the main door. He ignored it at first. Who would come to their house at three in the morning? And if anyone comes, why would not they ring the bell? But the knock came second time, a little louder. He paused his documentary and went to answer the door.

Her ponytail was askew, trousers creased, posture slumped. But the twinkle in her eyes told him that they got the killer. He could not help the smile that spread across his face seeing her. It felt like finally coming home after a long journey. He ushered her inside.

“I thought V must be asleep. So, I did not ring the bell”, she whispered.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, “what about poor me?”

“What do _you_ need sleep for?” She beamed so innocently that something warm bloomed in his chest. At that moment she was a normal girl, not a daredevil police detective. He loved her when she was a badass in field, but this girl in front of him – who came to give him the news of the arrest, despite having a long day herself, so that he would not worry, who can match him in sarcastic banters, who can smile without any pretence – was making his heart go crazy. He made her a cup of coffee. She narrated the events after they left the precinct. They both settled on the couch and he un-paused the documentary he was watching.

“Don’t _you_ need sleep?” he asked concerned. She has worked for a whole day and night. She deserved some rest.

“I’m good. But let me know if you want to close your eyes.” She smiled.

He scoffed, “Why? You are planning to steal Ron’s Galmergé egg collection while I’m sleeping?”

“Wait. She seriously owns a collection like that?” she sat straighter; her eyes roamed around the walls of the luxury living room before settling back on him. He laughed wholeheartedly at her expression, “The Lodges do.”

“Wow”, she sank back on the plush couch, “they _are_ rich.”

“Like, crazy rich”, he agreed.

“When I was younger, I thought the richest people on earth were the Thistles.” She admitted after a beat. “I was thrilled when my sister started dating Jason. She described it like dating a prince. My mom was against that relationship from starting. I argued with her so many times. Once I even accused her of being jealous of Polly because mom was not successful in her married life. I never apologized till date.” She was tracing a finger along the rim of the mug absentmindedly. He has never seen her talking this much about her past till now. He understood that she has problems opening up to people. He himself has that issue. He placed a hand on her shoulder gently, “She knows that you did not mean it.”

She looked up at him with bright green eyes glistening from unshed tears, “yeah, maybe.”

“What happened with Jason?” He asked.

She shook her head slightly, “Nothing. Just…when Polly got pregnant, he simply refused to get involved. He refused to meet with her, to talk to her, to acknowledge her. he broke up with her. Just like that.”

He felt a rage bubbling up in his chest, “he is an asshole.”

She nodded and took a sip of her coffee, “I agree.”

***

By the time she left, the sky already turned pink. He closed the door swiftly and turned to face a sleepy Veronica.

“Who was that?”

He rubbed his neck uncomfortably. They did nothing but talk and watch Netflix. But somehow it felt so intimate that he flushed while answering, “Um…just Betty.”

“Just Betty?” she quirked a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

“Yeah, they arrested the murderer. So, she wanted us to know.”

“And why could not she do that over phone?” she sounded absolutely nonchalant and grabbed a mug for herself from the counter.

He cursed under his breath, “You know what, I like you better when you are asleep.”

“Too bad. I’m feeling energized now. So, Betty?”

“What about her?”

“Nothing”, she shrugged. “She came to see you after a long day…and night.”

“Will you drop it? Don’t you want to know who the killer is?” he tried to deflect.

“Oh, I already know”, she smirked.

“What?” he was stunned. She went to sit on sofa and patted the seat next to her motioning him to sit there.

“Reggie texted me with the update. Like people, who wants to share official update, does.”

He plonked down on the spot beside her, “Okay. Fine. I like her and I think maybe, just maybe, the feeling is not completely unreciprocated.”

“I know”, she touched his arm lightly.

He closed his eyes. Glimpses of her golden hair, her sparkling eyes, her amused smile danced around in his mind. He opened his eyes again and breathed, “I think I’m falling for her, Ron.”

The brunette stopped sipping her coffee and turned fully to face him, “What’s the problem, Jug? What are you afraid of?”

“Of losing her. It’s Jones luck. We lose everything precious to us.” He admitted finally. To Veronica. And to himself.

* * *

She showered for a long time, rinsing the day’s tiredness from her body. She set her alarm to get a quick nap before she heads back for office. But her sleep was disturbed with loud poundings on her bedroom door. Groaning she opened one eye to check her mobile. _Shit_. She actually slept through the alarm. But it’s not too late. She can still make it if she skips breakfast. She jumped out of bed and ran to the door to stop whoever was banging the door. She was sure it was her mother.

“Mom, will you stop…” she stopped seeing a grinning Kevin in the doorway.

“Kev? What are you doing here?” she stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the residual sleep.

“What do you think? I brought bagels and coffee. Oh, and I applied for a day off at my job.” He pushed her aside and entered her bedroom. He sat on the edge of her bed and started unwrapping the food. She stood there dumbfounded. He frowned sensing her not moving.

“I need to go to office. Today’s a work day,” She supplied.

He waved his hands in dismissal, “You earned a leave. I talked to dad. Even if you go to station, he will send you back.”

She grunted and plopped back on the bed, “you planned it. Did not you?”

“you bet, I did”, he gave her a toothy grin.

“But I really do think I should not take a whole day off.”

“Relax sweetheart. Your Mr. tall and dark is not going today either. I confirmed from Ronnie.” He smirked.

Her face heated up. His lopsided grin, the unruly curl, the soft blue of his eyes came rushing in her mind. The sound of his laughter from the morning filled her ears. Kevin mumbled something which sounded very much like “cute” and “crushing”. But she ignored him. She was not crushing on Jughead. She was _not_. She was much deeper in this. Kevin nudged her shoulder. She looked up to see his concerned face. She exhaled sharply and whispered, “Kev, I think I’m in trouble.”

“Oh no girl”, he assured, “you are in love.”

She warned, “Don’t”. Her eyes started to sting. A plethora of emotions rose and fell in waves inside her chest.

Kevin wrapped her in his arms, “It’s okay Betty. You need to let go of the past.”

* * *

He stood in front of the closed door in his room. He has constructed his own murder board here. all the notes and cuttings from Dorothy file, that they made together, now carefully stringed with different colour coded strings on his board. He could not let her get involved in the investigation, but he would do it by himself. He already made a rough timeline for the case. All important details are connected in red strings.

First, the case of a high school getting closed in Riverdale Southside. Ashley Morgan starts working on the case. She gets killed under mysterious circumstances within a month, March, 2002.

Second, police arrest the killer, Joe Fogarty who claims to be innocent. Then, Donna Swett comes forward as eye witness and Joe is sent to prison for life after another three months, June, 2002.

Third, Dorothy Miller takes on Joe’s case, reason unknown. But safe to assume that she was convinced of Joe’s innocence. She started working on the case around September, 2004. She was able to get Joe his first parole on the account of his ailing daughter. She gets killed on 12th December, 2005.

Fourth, the shooting was ruled out as random act of gang violence on 20th December, 2005.

And last, Donna Swett gets fired on 31st January, 2006 after asking officer Raglan for the original Dorothy police file checked out on 2nd January.

He wrote his questions on small notes and pasted them in a corner of the board. “ **where is the original file?** ” “ **Is Joe Fogarty innocent?** ” and “ **why the school got shut down?** ”

The door handle hit him in the forehead as it was swung open from outside and a startled Veronica stepped in, “What are you doing back there?”

“what does it look like?” he grumbled rubbing his forehead. She eyed his handiwork with confusion and asked sympathetically, “So, Betty still does not allow you to touch her board?”

A wave of guilt washed over him. She actually does not. He has been given a separate smaller board like structure. But that was not the point. He was doing this behind her back. He reasoned with himself that he would tell her as soon as he is close to the answer. He was doing it alone because he had no other choice.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments are appreciated, guys. 😊

Jughead hates standing with other people. Other unknown people. He hates being up early. He hates that Veronica can coax him into going to the bank with her on a Saturday morning. But all that is pointless since he is now roaming aimlessly through the waiting area while his friend is engaged in an intense discussion with the bank manager. It was regarding a loan application, the brunette told him. With the popularity of her diner and speakeasy, he was sure that the loan would be approved without any hassle. But she is always 200 percent committed when it comes to her business. So, she poked him on the sides until he groaned and left his bed to take shower. In the time he showered and got ready and tried to enjoy his morning coffee, she prepared her file with utmost sincerity. She does not know he snapped a picture with her tongue on her cheek, brows creased in concentration, thumb pressed on lips. He sent it to Archie for future references where they can make fun of her documented “unprofessional” appearance.

The lady in cash withdrawal counter sent a flirty smile in his direction. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her. He looked around to find some interesting activity to get himself engaged. People watching was not working anymore as there were only a handful of people and he already wrote a thesis in his mind about all of them. His phone buzzed signalling a call, a smile appeared on his face at the caller id of Betty Cooper.

“We really gotta stop missing each other so much”, he received her call with a cheery voice.

She snorted, “don’t flatter yourself, Jones. I was calling for V, she is not picking up. Kevin wanted to plan a spa day.”

At this precise moment, several things happened at once. Veronica emerged from the manager’s cabin with a satisfied smile and waved at him. The lady in front counter shrieked in terror. Three masked men entered through the main door holding guns. And, he ducked under the nearest desk hoping Veronica would follow his lead.

“What’s happening?” Betty demanded urgently. He took a deep breath, “I think the bank is being robbed.”

One of the three men shouted. His voice hoarse, “Everybody get down on your knees. Hands behind your head. We don’t want to hurt you.” Then he turned to the trembling manager who came out of his cabin hearing the noise, “Ah, Mr. Green, lead the way to the vault.”

“The bank is definitely being robbed”, he confirmed in a hushed tone.

* * *

She heard the yelling over the line. Even before he confirmed, she knew that the bank is getting robbed. She put him on speaker, “keep talking to me but don’t let them get suspicious.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” he hissed back. She gestured Joaquin and Reggie. They both were at her sides within moments.

“ok, good. How many are they?” she asked. Writing frantically on a piece of paper to devise a plan. She knows the bank has a back door. That is locked most of the time, only used by the manager as he leaves after locking the front door. They should have one car parked in the back and two more in both sides. As soon as the robbers are out, they need to chase them from all sides.

“There are three people. One just led the manager to the back room. Other two are looking over us.”

She quickly jotted down the possible scenarios of ambush. “Do they have firearms?”

“Of course, they have guns”, he sounded offended. “Why would they even come to rob a bank without guns?”

“Keep your voice down, Jug. And answers short.” She could not help the edge in her voice. She was panicked in a way she has only ever been for her family or partners. Jughead was not any victim trapped in a bank robbery situation. It was personal for her. Anything involving _him_ was personal.

“I’m trying”, his voice did not carry any terror. Rather, there was a hint of excitement. “So, what do you want me to do? Should I lurch forward and surprise them with my kung fu skills? Or, should I play the sickness card and tell them I’m dying and I need to see my kids before that?”

This man was going to be the death of her. She gritted her teeth, “stay where you are. Don’t you dare to move.”

Joaquin and Reggie already relayed the information and few more officers joined them. Jughead expressed mock hurt, “But Betts…I want to do _something_. Anything.” She was about to roll her eyes and warn him not to play a hero when a howling sound came followed by a metallic clatter and Jughead’s loud voice, “What the hell are you doing? Can’t you morons see that she is pregnant?”

Her own voice raised an octave in alarm, “Jug, what’s going on?”

No answer.

“Stay put, Jug. Please.”

More silence on the line. But distant sound of a heated exchange floated over the audio. And then the sound of a gunshot. She started sprinting to the door by that time, phone tightly clutched in her hand and a look of resolute on her face. Others followed her without hesitation. But Sheriff Keller stopped them.

“What are you doing, Cooper? If you barge in, you will turn it into a hostage situation. We cannot be obvious in our presence.”

She could not believe that Sheriff was actually wasting her time where Jughead and Veronica are trapped in a bank with three armed men.

“I’m sorry Sir, but I believe that it already turned into one. We just heard the gunshot. Somebody might be…”, she stopped short. She could not bring herself to say “ _dead_ ”.

The elder man put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Cooper, this is personal for you. Let others take the charge.”

“What?” she looked at him in disbelief. There was no way in hell she would wait here. But seeing the expression on Joaquin’s face, she understood Tom Keller’s point. She took a few calming breaths and stated in a determined voice, “I am perfectly capable to handle this situation professionally, sir. I can assure you of that.”

Sheriff Keller smiled. This was the Betty he has known his whole life. Fearless in the face of death, calm in the midst of chaos. He nodded his approval.

* * *

Jughead’s blood boiled as he saw one of the masked men playfully shoving a pregnant lady. His instinctive protectiveness took over as he shouted at him. He could see Veronica’s pleading eyes begging him to stop. He was vaguely aware of Betty asking him to keep quiet over the phone. But he did not care and he let the phone fall on the floor as he made his way to the lady groaning in pain. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in an effort to protect the baby.

“Get on your knees”, the man demanded rudely to him. He did not care. The other man looked hesitant as he pointed his gun to him and gestured him to stop there. He reached the lady and helped her to sit comfortably before glaring right back at the armed men. The sleeping gang leader in him taking over his better judgment.

“This is how you want to prove that you are powerful?” he spat. “By terrorizing pregnant ladies and old people at gunpoint?”

“Shut the hell up and get on your knees.” The first man yelled at him. He pointed his gun suggestively at Jughead. he had to give a humourless laugh at that. He has seen death in the eyes too many times to be intimidated by three amateur bank robbers. He was sure that they were not experienced criminals. Their hands shook and they sounded unsure when they commanded. So, he took another bold step towards the man, hatred radiating through him. The men, rude manner and scary appearance, reminding him his past. He clenched his teeth.

_“Jug, what did they want?” Jellybean did not stop trembling in his arms from the time two rough looking muscular men appeared at their doorstep. They had big guns and intimidating leather jackets. Their father was out of the picture again for last few days. The men came demanding to meet him as he owed them money. They left two shaken siblings, one in his teenage and another too little to understand everything, clinging to each other for moral support. They came back several times after that. Every time he made sure to ask Jellybean to hide under the bed and be silent before he opened the door. Until one day, he could not avoid them anymore, he was too scared for his baby sister to fall victim to the gang. So, instead, he joined them. Ensuring the protection for his sister, a roof over their head and food on their table._

Another kid cried loudly and her mother immediately pressed her palm on the little girl’s face to muffle the sound. The same man who was rude to him, turned to face the mother-daughter duo and wiggled his gun at them, “Do you have a death wish, bitches?” At that he lost his cool and his fist landed on the man’s jaw in a perfect uppercut. He suddenly thought his younger self would have been proud at that move because that meant he would not have to spend so much time hiding from the high school jocks. But as the thought crossed his mind fleetingly, he heard a gunshot. And then several panicked screeches. He quickly looked around to make sure nobody is hurt. He could see Veronica’s wide eyes staring at his upper arm worryingly. He examined his hand. The bullet just grazed past it. It was a superficial cut, though he was bleeding now.

The other robber pulled the gun away from this man, telling something in hushed tone. The man who disappeared in the back with the manager, came back rushing, “Why the fuck you fired the gun?”

The shooter cast an angry look at Jughead but before he could say anything, his partner instructed, “help to gather the money. We need to leave soon.” Then he simply held the gun on the temple of a trembling old man and fixed Jughead with a look of warning as if to say _if you move, this man pays_. He got the hint and fell on his knees without any intention to pull another stunt. He missed his phone. He had no idea how close Betty and others were. There was no sound of Police siren.

Few agonizing minutes passed like this. All of them in the same position. Silence settling in the room.

Then the two men emerged from the back room, bag full of cash. They unlocked the front door and disappeared. In a few moments, he could hear the sound of an engine starting. That was when the last man walked backwards, his gun still pointed at the old man. As he left, he closed the front door shut. Nobody dared to move for a whole minute.

Gunshots were heard from outside. He jumped on his feet. A few more followed. He tried to open the front door, but it was locked from outside. Veronica hurried after him, still tensed and focussed on his arm.

The door flew open. Betty rushed in. Her face concerned. They almost collided at the doorstep as he did not have enough time to step back from the door.

“Jug!” she cried at the sight of him and without another word threw her arms around his shoulders. He winced at the sudden pressure that movement created on his arm. She immediately pulled back, “Oh God! You are bleeding.”

“Hey, I’m fine. It’s just a cut. Did you get those bastards?” he assured her, holding onto her arms to prevent her from pulling further back.

She nodded, “we did. All three of them. Thanks for the _anonymous_ tip!” She laughed lightly for a moment. Then her tone got more serious, “Are you alright? I told you not to do anything stupid.”

He smiled at her, the anger and frustration from minutes before fading away at the sight of her. “He was being an asshole to kids and pregnant ladies, Betts.”

She scanned his face like she was trying to search something there. Then she whispered, “I’m so glad you are okay.”

He stroked her cheek lightly with his finger. The smile never leaving his face.

“Ahem”, somebody cleared their throat. Their small bubble broke. They spun around to see a grinning Veronica. “I was here too, you know.” She told Betty. The detective rolled her eyes, “Yes V, I’m happy for you too.”

Jughead pulled his friend close by her arm and commented thoughtfully, “Who would dare to shoot you, Ron? You are so daunting!”

“Of course, I am!” the raven-haired woman huffed in mock annoyance. “Did you forget the Christmas where you guys ate the whole truffle I made?”

He shuddered at that thought. She made English Truffle and put a layer of ham in it because she mixed the recipe with Shepherd’s pie. But none of them had the guts to tell her that. Though Jughead demands that he did it to spare her feelings, not out of fear.

* * *

Betty sent her raven-haired friends home with a promise to meet them for dinner at Pembrooke. Veronica offered to cook some exquisite dish before Jughead threatened to throw up all over her favourite carpet in living room. She glared at him but caved in finalizing the burger and milkshake dinner plan. The blonde shook her head while driving back to station. It was amusing to watch Veronica and Jughead going from concerned best friends to bickering frenemies within a second. She remembered Veronica’s recollection of their high school days during their girl time. She assumed that Jughead only tolerated her at first because of Archie. Archie and Jughead were brothers to each other. They still are, Betty can see that. But now Jughead and Veronica’s friendship is way past the point of only having Archie connecting them. They are really close. She remembered her brunette friend saying something along the lines of Jughead’s hard family life making him closed off to the entire world. She did not elaborate and Betty did not press. After all, she wanted _him_ to be ready to confide in her.

By the time she reached station, Reggie and Joaquin already managed to process the three robbers. They all were in their early twenties. Jughead assumed right. They were novice. This was their first crime with firearms. They had records of petty theft and possession. Two of them already did time in juvie. Today also they had no intention to actually hurt anyone. But the youngest one, Prince ( _how ironic_ , she thought in her mind), became overconfident and arrogant with a gun first time in his hands. He lost his cool and shoved the young lady to show that he was in power. Betty observed them carefully. A small part of her always feels sad for the criminals who are born out of circumstances. They are no psychopaths. All boys were from Riverdale Southside. A breeding ground for gang members. They have to claw their way through life every day. And while she knows that poverty or life struggles are no excuse for a crime, she firmly believes in the mantra of “hate the crime not the criminal”. She still believes in humanity. She still likes to believe that, given a chance at a better life, these young guys could become good. Her profession demands following procedure and law, not emotions. That was the jury’s task to judge if they are worthy to be given a second chance. But she remembers Detective Brown’s words.

_It was her first case as a homicide detective. The shooter was a victim of childhood rape and sexual torture by her stepfather over many years until finally one day she snapped and pushed him so hard that he hit his head and died of the injury. It was concluded by the doctors and police as an accidental fall from stairs. But by that time the girl’s psychology was already disturbed. She was a music teacher in high school. She killed two more men who were her stepfather’s age and was bad to their children in some way or the other. They were her students’ parents and she came to know about their torture on their kids from her students. Those two could mostly be classified as very strict and overbearing fathers, not oppressive. But in her mind, she simply connected the dots and acted as a vigilante on her own. When Betty came to know her life story after arrest, she felt bad. Really bad. She wished she could meet young Catherine to support her through the rough patch of her life. She was worried that this softness might affect her performance at job. That was the time Detective Brown told her, “If you don’t have empathy then you would be no different from the hardened criminals. It is what defines you. It does not affect your job, it makes you more efficient. It urges you to want to make the world a better place.”_

She believes in them till date.

Her desk phone rang startling her out of her thoughts.

“Detective Cooper speaking.”

The voice on the other end was muffled but she recognized it. It was Donna Swett.

“Can you meet me for coffee?”

“Sure. Same place in half an hour?” she sat straighter, grabbing a pen and pad, ready to write down any address if Donna proposes to meet elsewhere. But the woman agreed to meet the same café in Greendale they met last time. She sounded frightened and in a hurry.

Betty quickly finished the paperwork and left for the day. She had a couple of hours before she had to be at Pembrooke. She reached the café before time and ordered a black coffee to clear her head. These past few weeks have been crazy. Since she has returned to the job after being shot, it has always been busy. She did not get time to think about the Dorothy case. Their file was still missing. She took a mental note to search her bedroom tonight. It did not take long for Donna to appear. She stood in the doorway as the little bell tinkled overhead. She was dressed in similarly concealing clothes as last time. This time she had a light blue scarf covering most of her face. Her eyes under heavy black makeup. She walked to the table briskly after stopping and placing her order for coffee at the counter. 

As soon as she sat, her demeanour changed. She was pale, her hands were shaking and Betty could see the fear in her eyes.

“I’m getting threats”, she whispered.

Betty was taken aback, “What? When?”

She had a lot of questions to ask Donna, specially about the Ashley Morgan case. But with the new information, those questions took a backseat in her priority list.

The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “It’s been few weeks. I even called your office once. You were not there.”

She nodded. Must be some of her colleagues.

“Who are threatening you?”

She hissed, “The people who killed Dorothy Miller.”

Betty almost sputtered in her cup. She stared at the woman in front of her, mouth agape.

“You know, who killed her? or that she was killed?”

“I know now.” She replied somewhat cryptically. When she did not say any further, Betty had to prod, “What do you want from me?”

The woman looked into her eyes, her gaze intense. It was like she was contemplating telling the truth. A mid-aged waitress came and put Donna’s coffee down on their table. She smiled at the two women kindly and walked away.

“I’m fleeing the country. But I want you to have something before I go.”

She was taken aback at the comment. If someone was afraid and leaving country, they generally don’t go to a detective and brag about it instead of asking for help. But before she could offer her help and assure her security, Donna thrust a file into her hands. She scanned through it to examine the contents of the file. It was the original case file for Dorothy Miller murder case. All witness statements and records, photos of the body and statement from her family. She might have been caught up in the file for a few minutes. Then her eyes snapped up, prepared to ask Donna from where did she get the file. But the woman was not there. There was no sign of her in sight. If it was not for the file in her hands and the empty coffee cup with a rumpled twenty dollar bill on the table, Betty could have sworn that Donna being there was purely her imagination.

* * *

Veronica went to Pop’s for her daily job to maintain the ledger. She promised to get their dinner on her way back. Jughead already had few pop tarts and half frozen pizza sitting in Veronica’s fridge in the meantime. But he was still hungry. He decided to take a quick walk to the nearby park to get some ice cream from the stand there. The corporate queen will surely scrunch her nose at this heinous idea of having ice cream before dinner, but he did not care anyways. As soon as he finished his ice cream, Archie’s facetime call was incoming in his phone. He quickly wiped away any proof of his desserts adventure and answered the call.

“Hey Arch!”

The redhead beamed at him, “How are you Jug? Ronnie told me that you were quite a hero today morning?”

He laughed quietly, “don’t listen to your fiancée. She is a drama queen.”

“Uh-huh. I don’t think so, bud. You always had a heroic streak in you. Remember, high school? The cafeteria started a healthy food week per month practice and you went on a hunger strike?”

“That was totally different.” He exclaimed.

“Okay, what about the time when the drive-in closed and you marched to the Mayor’s office to protest?”

“Still not the same, Arch.”

Somewhere in the background Fred’s voice boomed, “Just be safe, son. You know, we all love you, right?”

He grinned at that. He knew it. Very few people on this earth have seen the real him and accepted whole-heartedly. Fred Andrews was definitely one of them. While his own parents were fighting and competing for the most negligent parent of the year award, he was lucky to have people like Fred and Mary in his life who made it easier for him and his sister. He will always be grateful for Andrews family. They gave him a brother, a second home and a set of parental figures.

It was quite dark outside when he finished the long call. It was a rare occurrence to talk to Archie and Fred for such a long time. His conversation with Archie is generally limited to thousands of messages (mostly emojis) from Archie every day and his quirky replies that hardly go up to twenty texts per day.

He still had the delighted smile on his face as he went back to the house and to his room. Then it faltered.

“What the hell, Jughead? You care to explain this?”

***

When she was greeted by Lodge’s butler Smithers as both her friends were out, she was not surprised. She figured they might have gone to Pop’s together to get the food. It was early for the dinner anyhow. She could not wait to share the unexpected development in Dorothy case with Jughead. She was roaming lazily in the living room when the half open guestroom door caught her attention. She was secretly very curious about Jughead’s bedroom, though she would never admit that even to herself. After debating with herself about it for a good fifteen minutes, she casually entered his room. The room was very Jughead. Dark blue blinds in windows, navy blue bedspread, laptop on study table, few books scattered on bed and nightstand. She breathed in the scent of his room. It was his smell. A mixture of coffee and nicotine, fresh pine and rain. As she opened one of the windows, to feel the evening breeze, a gust of wind shut the door behind her. She quickly turned to open it but stopped in her tracks seeing the murderboard. It had every paper cutting and notes they made together for Dorothy case. She stood in the middle of the room, dumbfounded. After a long time, felt like an eternity, she was aware of the moist on her cheeks which she frantically wiped away.

She did not realize how much she trusted him until he broke it. She did not realize how much feelings she had developed for him until his betrayal hit her like a blow in the gut.

***

He never locks his room. But he did not expect Betty Cooper standing there in the middle of Lodge guest room, staring at the murderboard he so carefully created from a stolen file from her drawer. A thoroughly confused and betrayed look on her face. He stood frozen at the door. He had no explanation to give her that would not enrage her further. Her breathing was shallow, fingers curling into a fist.

“Well?” she looked at him with piercing eyes. He gulped. There were no words he could form that would make any sense to her. It was ridiculous. Seriously. Was not he a bestselling author? Was not his expertise to understand his readers’ minds and present them with the preferred words? But right at this moment, he felt at a loss for words. After a few beats, he offered weakly, “it’s not what you think.”

“I want to believe you. Please tell me what it _is_ then.”

Her voice was so vulnerable, almost on the verge of breakdown. He hated himself for causing her the pain when all he wanted was to keep her safe and happy.

“I had no other choice, Betts.”

She quirked her eyebrows, clearly unimpressed. His voice choked as he tried to explain himself in the best possible way, “I did not want to lose you. I could not afford to lose you. So, I took the investigation upon myself. They threatened to kill you…”

She cut him frantically, “they? Who are they?”

He took a deep breath, “you should probably sit down for this.”

She refused to listen to him and stood in her place firmly, arms crossed over her chest. It was already going south. He told her about the phone call then. The threat. He told her how he managed to open her drawer and get the file. How he planned to keep her busy with other cases until he could solve this one without involving her. When he finished, she was looking at him disbelievingly, “You sat on this information, an information that could solve the attempt on my life, for all this time?”

“I was trying to prevent another attempt on your life”, he tried to reason.

“No. You don’t get to do that. Why would you even think of that?”

“Because…”, he swallowed. _Because, I love you_. “Because I care about you, Betty.”

“No”, she shook her head stubbornly. “You lied to me. You broke my trust. Do you have any idea how that feels?”

“I did not _lie_ to you.”

“No, you were just omitting the truth!” she huffed in annoyance.

“I was protecting you”, he retorted.

“I don’t need your protection, Jughead”, she yelled at him. “I’m capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need to deal with your hero complex.”

“I can’t stand here and watch you to get into a situation that will kill you.”

“Then don’t”, She bellowed. “But don’t stand _in_ my way. This is my life and I will decide what I want. You don’t get to give your opinion on my life or death.”

She started gathering the notes and cuttings from his collection quickly. Clearly agitated from their confrontation.

“Betty, please listen to me”, he begged.

“No. you listen to me. We are done”, she pointed her index finger at him. “Next time you run around pretending to be a hero in my life, I will throw you into jail for obstruction of justice. That’s where people like you belong to.”

She stormed out of his room. Her arms full with the papers from Dorothy file. Her eyes spitting fire.

He collapsed on his bed. Her last words echoing in his ears, “I will throw you into jail… That’s where people like you belong to”…“We are done”.

* * *

She was driving at a speed, that was way higher than the speed limit. But she did not care. She drove aimlessly through the streets covered in her childhood memories. Her eyes, initially blurry with tears, now dry. Her fingers clenching around the steering wheel. Her jaw set firmly. Glimpses from her haunting past clouding her consciousness.

_College library. Sophomore year. Chuck just deleted the whole article she wrote for submission to college paper from her laptop without telling her._

_“Betty, I did this to protect you. You should not write exposé for college newspaper. It is too risky.”_

_Dorm room. Junior year. They are getting ready for a party._

_“How dare you wear this short dress? Don’t you know that people will call you a slut? Change it, babe. I’m doing this for your sake.”_

_College campus. Junior year. She planned to meet with friends from her workplace, a small bookshop where she works part time, in a café for afternoon coffee._

_“Babe, please. Today we were supposed to spend time together. Besides, you don’t even know how these people are outside work. What if they turn out to be some scumbags? I just want to keep you safe.”_

_“Don’t talk to Ryan. He is a scoundrel. I don’t want guys like him talking to you.”_

_“Come with me to the frat party today. What will you do hole up in your room and watching serial killer documentary?”_

_“Your family is a bunch of psychos. You are just like them. I tried to protect you but if you don’t understand that then I don’t need to put up with your bitchiness.”_

*****************************************************************************

After driving for almost an hour, she noticed that she was in front of a familiar place. She drove here even without thinking. She killed the engine and made her way through the cemetery to Polly’s grave.

It’s covered in flowers. That must be her mother. She knows that Alice visits Polly regularly. Betty never had the strength to come here alone. Polly was the best friend she had. She was the best sister anyone could ask for. Supportive, understanding and kind. When she got the news of Polly’s accident, she did not cry. She did not have time to cry afterwards also. She had the funeral to plan. She had a eulogy to write. Then, she had the kids to take care of and her mother to deal with. She had the strenuous process of transfer and settling back in Riverdale. Amidst all these duties and responsibilities, she did not shed tears for her sister. Her best friend. Her confidante. She pushed the grief in her heart too far down, too forcefully. So today, when she was feeling broken and empty all over again, she came back to Polly, knelt down in front of the stone structure and touched it. Eyes closing, she could feel the soft skin of her sister, the warm smile, the gentle eyes. Her eyes welled with tears. A pang in her chest, a heaviness in her heart. She sat there, with tears flowing freely over her reddened cheeks and hands clutching to her sister’s grave.

“I miss you, Pol. I miss you so much”, she whispered in the wind. A flower fell from an overhead tree branch, as if telling her that Polly misses her too.

“I’m so sorry I was not there. I was not there when you were driving home. I was not there to take care of you when Jason left you. I love you. I will always love you.” She sobbed quietly until her tears ran out and she was left with a feeling of hollowness.

* * *

“Jug?” Veronica’s voice came from behind him. She sounded unsure. He was shoving his clothes and laptop in his backpack. He cannot stay here for another moment. He needs to leave now. It was just too much. Everything was too much. His past dancing in his brain. His present ripped away from him. He has no vision of future. He just wanted to run away like he did so many years ago from his mother’s house. He ran till he was out of breath. Today he was feeling the same suffocation and desperation taking over his body.

“I’m leaving, Ronnie.” He informed without turning back.

“What? What happened?” she was startled. Only a couple of hours back, they were joking and laughing. What happened suddenly?

He stopped and raked a hand over his hair, “I hurt Betty. Badly. And she hates me now which I totally deserve.”

“So, fix it. Apologize to her, explain it to her.”

“God! I don’t have any explanation. And even if I had, I’m not sure she would like to see my face anytime soon.”

“From where did you get this stupid idea? Listen Jug, Betty likes you. She may not realize it yet, but I know.”

“No Ron. What she likes is the charming persona of J. Jones. Not the gang leader Jughead with a hero complex.”

“You are not a gang leader. You joined the gang under unavoidable circumstances and it does not define you. It never defined you.”

“But I’m still the same person. The broken, homeless recluse who does not deserve happiness. Nobody likes him.”

“You are wrong. You are so very wrong. You deserve all the happiness in the world, Jug.

“Yeah? Then why do I always feel like being robbed of it?”

“Please, just talk to her once.”

“I did”.

He made sure he packed everything essential and grabbed his bike key from the nightstand. He kissed Veronica on her temple once, “See you later.”

The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes, “At least tell me where you are going?”

“I will call you”, he avoided the straight answer because he does not know it. He needed to be on road. He needed to get the fresh air in his lungs. He would worry about his destination after that. Before his friend could make any more protests, he was already on his motorbike, engine revving to life.

* * *

Betty drove around the town for another hour. Unable to think of the next course of action. Then on a whim, she drove to Keller residence. Kevin and Joaquin were lounging in the living room, both pleasantly surprised seeing her. Although Kevin’s face instantly changed to alarmed as he looked at her tired red-rimmed eyes and tangled hair. She did not have the energy to go into details now. She needed sleep. But before that she had to talk to the Sheriff.

“Dad is in his study…Betty, you sure you okay?” Kevin demanded. She gave him a tight-lipped smile and a wave to Joaquin before she headed to the direction of Sheriff’s study room.

Tom Keller was sitting on a chair, glasses perched on bridge of his nose and files scattered on the table. Outside workplace, he was a father figure to her. She did not have her father around growing up. Tom was the one who took that place in her life. Be it the father-daughter dance or a cookie bake sale, he was always there for Cooper girls. Now, the older man removed his glasses and offered a soft smile, gesturing for her to take a seat. She dropped on the chair rather unceremoniously.

“Can you please make sure that Jones does not tag with me for any more cases?” she ripped off the band aid quickly. After all she is setting foot in this house after a long time for this. Any other time, she would have felt guilty. But now she was too overwhelmed to feel anything. She knew that she could not tolerate to work with him after this. She let her guard down in front of him. And he betrayed her. It was a lot of emotions to process but the prevalent was that one of hurt and anger. The Sheriff chuckled at her request, “Okay.”

“What?” she was confused. When he first came, Sheriff Keller told her that it was Mayor McCoy’s orders to keep him around and take his consultation. She thought Keller could not avoid it. But now he agreed so easily.

“I always had the power to just turn down his help.” He informed her cautiously.

“Then why did you not?” she felt the anger now getting directed at a totally wrong target.

“Because he made you happy”, Tom Keller shrugged. His eyes earnest and affectionate. His voice calm, “He made the work fun for you. You made the work challenging for him. You two complemented each other. Did you know that we solved more cases in last four months than we did in last year? It is my department, Betty and I could deny his presence in my station at any point of time. But I care for you not as the best detective in my office but as my daughter. Your happiness matters to me more. And such a high case solving rate did not hurt either.”

“I still want him to be removed”, she told stubbornly. Her eyes were stinging again. She knew in her heart that the Sheriff was right. He did make the work fun. She enjoyed working with him. His jokes made her tensed moments light. His presence helped her to let loose a little.

“I know.” Tom replied ruefully. “I already got a text from him that he was leaving. He would not come back.”

She stared at a crack in the side of the study table. She concentrated hard at that point. There was a tightness in her chest. She ignored that. It was inevitable. They were toxic for each other.

“Betty”, Tom’s voice snapped her out of her haze. He was standing beside her now, looking at her with concerned eyes. When she met his gaze, he placed his hand on her head gently, “Don’t ever be afraid to be happy, kid.”

***

The splatters of rain clouded his vision but he did not lower his speed limit. He needed to escape as far as possible, as soon as possible. She was right, he belonged to prison. He had a complicated life. He did not deserve her. She was way out of his league. All he did only caused her pain. He was a former gang leader, he once lived on streets and survived on leftovers. She deserved someone with a normal past, without a whole lot of baggage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to see them fight but it was inevitable. 😒


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems I'm unable to keep them apart for more than half a chapter. 🤨 As always comments and kudos are appreciated, guys.❤❤

Betty grimaced as she reached for popcorn absentmindedly for the third time in last half hour. It had been a habit since Jughead insisted they should keep eating while working on a murderboard. He always had the tub of popcorn ready on her desk when they worked together late nights. She is now working alone, Dorothy Miller murderboard littered with notes, mostly her handwritings but a few still shows his slightly cursive scrawling. She could not throw them away. Her fingers brushed over the timeline he created. Everything was in front of her eyes. But she was missing something. She trudged back to her desk and pulled out the original case file she received from Donna. It had nothing more than they already had. She poured herself another mug of black coffee and spread the papers on her desk. The station was quiet. Joaquin and Reggie have been lingering near her, checking on her frequently for last few days. They don’t exactly know what happened, only that Jughead left. She shared the details with none except Kevin. She has told her colleagues numerous times that she was okay. More than okay in fact. She was back in her game, without his stupid comments or infuriating jokes. She should be able to focus more now. _Then why do you keep getting distracted with flashes of soft blue eyes and quirked lips?_ The voice in her head sounds oddly like Kevin’s. She slammed her hands on the table to regain her concentration. Dorothy case was simple open and shut as per the investigating officers. Her car was ransacked, definitely for money and she was shot at a close range on chest. She did a double take here. Why did not she see this before? A close range shot, directly on chest. It was strangely similar to her own shooting. She went over all details frantically again. Dorothy appealed to reopen the murder case of her co-worker and she was representing Joe Fogarty, an ex-con and gang member. If Dorothy was murdered, it was likely that somebody did not want Fogarty’s case to be reopened. But why would he matter to anyone? He was a lowlife thug, nothing connects him to any mafia family or bigger crimes. She tapped the pen on her chin. Her eyes landed on the empty chair across her desk. She could practically hear him snigger _, “Missing me much?”_

She averted her gaze. It landed on Reggie’s desk. There was a pile of paper planes heaped at one corner. Jughead used to compete with him in target practice with paper balls and planes. She yelled at both of them so many times. She could remember one particular day.

_It was a depressingly grey morning. Betty was irritated for no obvious reason, she had a lot of work, the kids threw a tantrum in the morning, her mother passed some judgemental comments about her single status and she almost broke the skin on her palm in frustration, normal daily stuff. She just made a fresh cup of coffee, ready to fight the day when a paper ball landed in her coffee with a thwack. The hot dark liquid sloshed over the rim of the cup and spilled on her shirt and shoes. She cursed loudly and marched to the two apparently grown up adults who were looking at her wide-eyed._

_“Who did this?” she demanded. Both so promptly pointed at each other, it was borderline comical. She put the mug down and placed her hands on her hips, “I’m asking for the last time which one of you idiots ruined my coffee?”_

_Reggie’s shoulders slumped and he scowled, “Okay. I missed my target by a few inches.”_

_“a few hundred”, Jughead interjected. Reggie glared at him, “your teaching technique is all wrong.”_

_“You are not the brightest student, Mantle”, he argued._

_She pushed both the boys away from each other and stomped her feet in annoyance, “Do you think this is a fucking playground? Huh?”_

_“Sir. No sir”, Jughead gave her a salute and paraded to his chair. Despite herself, she could feel the ghost of a smile creeping onto her lips. The bitterness from morning family drama fading away with her office drama, definitely a more comical one._

She shook her head and controlled her face before it could relax into a grin. It was just a silly memory. It should not bring a smile to her face, or worse, moist her eyes. She thumbed through the case file, in urgent need to distract her mind from reminiscences. She got one connection to her shooting and it all finally ties back to one Joe Fogarty. Maybe it was time to pay him a visit. She picked up the receiver to place a call to Cayuga Correctional Facility, posing as a journalist from Riverdale, working on cold case stories. Riverdale Register should be a well-known name to the inmate as he was from this town. To her dismay, the facility let her know that Joe Fogarty was involved in a prison fight and ended up in hospital with many broken bones and a punctured lung. He was in coma, fighting for his life for last one week.

* * *

It’s been two whole weeks. And it has been hell. He was back in his New York apartment. He had Archie and Veronica whenever she was in city, which was three times in these two weeks and he knew that was to check on him. He had his old life that he left in the city. He had his writings. He even had his sister visiting him two weekends in a row. But he felt empty. Everything was different now. It was like his life could be divided in two significant parts, pre-Betty and post-Betty. He never knew how much of life he missed before he met her. She made him feel safe and at ease. Her one smile could make his whole day so much better. She could awake an optimist in him. For her, his writing became fluent and being with her while solving mysteries was the most natural thing he could think of. And now, he was back to his miserable self again. He could not write a word since he was back. Cheryl was calling him every day, multiple times, furiously asking for the end of the novel.

“What happened to this Bethany and Josh’s story?” she would start the call even without a hello.

“The story was over because Josh was stupid and they had irreconcilable differences”, he would reply every time. The conversation will go on a loop from there. He would ask why she was not happy with the mysteries solved, it was a crime novel after all, not a love story. She would demand that love is the most intriguing mystery in human lives and she was not comfortable calling it an end of the book until the main characters sort out their feelings.

***

He was alone in his apartment this weekend. Archie went to Riverdale to celebrate Ronnie’s birthday. He called them in the morning and they had a long nice chat. They did not ask him to join them knowing his situation. He carefully avoided any topic involving a certain blonde woman. And all was good.

Or, all was good until one afternoon his doorbell rang breaking his self-loathing pity party of pizza and ‘Catcher in the Rye’. It was the day after Veronica’s birthday. His best friends were acting weird, Archie did not bombard his phone with funny cat videos, on the other hand, Veronica called him in the morning out of the blue. Jughead has faced many unwanted and weird situations in his life. So, he is pretty much immune to any unexpected turn of events. A roll of his eyes or shake of his shoulders was the most extent of his reaction to almost every situation. That was how he dealt with his friends’ behaviour also. But even his usually detached nature was not prepared to see Kevin Keller on his New York apartment doorstep. He stood there dumbfounded while the other boy greeted him with a toothy grin. Kevin was not someone he was very close to. The guy was Betty’s best friend and also had a connection with almost everyone he knew in Riverdale but no direct link to him. He liked Kevin for his good sense of humour and easy-going nature. Though he never expected him to show up at his doorstep alone. With smooth gelled hair and a shiny new suit, he looked like straight out of the pages from a fashion magazine.

“Are you going to invite me in?” Kevin’s amused voice broke his reverie. He ushered his guest inside. When Kevin kicked off his boots and settled on the sofa, he offered him a beer bottle. That was the only drink he had in his fridge.

“You know, I would offer you a slice of pizza. But I have already finished them”, he shrugged unapologetically. Kevin laughed, “That’s okay, Jones. I have no intention to force you in sharing food.”

He kicked his feet up on his coffee table and quirked an eyebrow at Kevin. He was intrigued about what he had to say.

* * *

Betty was late for Veronica’s birthday party. She did not want to attend it but it was Veronica Lodge. She threatened if Betty did not come, she will send goons to pick her up and frogmarch her to La Bonne Nuit. Her mind drifted back to the last time she had been inside La Bonne Nuit. The murder case. The heart to heart with Jughead after they caught the killer. She chose a simple blue dress for tonight’s party. The speakeasy already thrumming with loud music and a huge crowd. As soon as Veronica spotted her, she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Betty’s neck, “Hey Bee!!”

She was thankful that Veronica did not take her fight with Jughead personally and still behaved like the same old friend. She grinned at her gorgeous appearance, clad in a purple cocktail dress with her signature pearls and stylish stiletto ankle bootie.

“Happy Birthday Vee”, she returned her hug enthusiastically. Veronica flipped her hair back and grabbed Betty’s hand to pull her to the cake cutting area. Archie was waiting there, with Veronica’s parents. She was meeting the infamous Hiram Lodge for the first time. He shook her hands firmly and was polite enough but somehow his eyes made her feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, the redhead did not acknowledge her at all. He looked very much interested in the table décor when Betty tried to say hi.

She might have had a few drinks. Veronica’s margaritas were damn good. She vaguely remembered Jughead saying so. Kevin was nowhere to be seen. When asked Joaquin, the detective seemed quite tight lipped about it. She assumed they had a fight. Though it was weird. In their five years of relationship, she has never seen those two getting into a disagreement. But there were weirder things in the world. Her steps faltered and speech slurred only slightly as she went to bid Veronica goodbye. The brunette’s eyes clouded with concern.

“B, I will ask Smithers to drop you.”

She waved a hand dismissively, “No need. I am perfectly fine.”

“You are not”, Veronica said in a stern voice. “You are drunk and I am not going to let you drive home in this state.”

Before she could say anything, Archie’s voice boomed, laced with annoyance, “Ronnie, don’t you know the great detective does not like to be protected?” 

“Archie”, Veronica warned.

He was not the one to back down. “Did you not learn you lesson from Jug’s humiliation?” he hissed at his fiancée. Anger flared in her chest. Was he trying to justify Jughead’s behaviour? Was he insinuating that _Jughead_ was the one humiliated?

“How dare you”, she snapped. “Jughead acted as nothing but an asshole. He lied to me in the name of protection. Bullshit. Who is he to protect me?”

“Well, forgive him if he actually cared about you enough to try and save you.” He yelled right back at her face.

“Cared about me?” she laughed humourlessly. “if he cared about me, he would have told me the truth. No. It was only his penchant for playing hero.”

“Can’t blame him for growing the habit when he actually had to be the saviour for his sister from a young age. I guess life would do that to you when you are sixteen and have to join a gang to protect your little sister from their cruelty and lustful gazes.” He spat bitterly before spinning on his heel and leaving the area.

She stood rooted on the spot. Jughead was in a _gang_? He never told her that. He never told her many of his struggles, she gathered them from bits and pieces of their conversation. But this was a significant detail. Suddenly she remembered his ashen face when she told him that he belonged to prison cell and her chest felt heavy. Maybe she reacted too harshly. She did not try to be in his shoes. He was not Chuck Clayton. He was Jughead Jones, who respected her career and understood her obsessions. She should not have judged his actions based on her experience with Chuck. She lifted her eyes to meet Veronica’s. The dark-haired girl gave her a weary smile, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Jug had a rough childhood, B. He has difficulties expressing his emotions sometimes but he is a good man. Please trust me on that. I’m not asking you to forgive him. Just…don’t hate him.” she sighed.

Betty blurted out, “I wish I could hate him, V. Then it would have been easier to forget.”

Veronica’s comforting hand pulled her closer and she whispered, “then don’t try to forget him. You two have something special. Treasure it.”

She supposed they did. They had a connection she never felt with anyone before.

***

“It was a twisted relationship. She never talks about it. And it is not my story to tell you. Just know that she is a sensitive person and her trust has been broken many times. But she trusts you.”

“Trusted”, Jughead corrected Kevin, interrupting his dramatic monologues and took a swig of his beer bottle.

Kevin tilted his head and regarded him, “No Jughead. She still trusts you. But her trust has suffered a blow. I will not threaten you in the typical best friend manner of ‘you hurt her and I will kill you’. Do you know why?”

He did not reply, just kept sipping his drink in silence. Kevin smiled, “Because, she is more than capable of fighting for herself.”

“I know”, he mumbled.

“Do you now?” the other boy mused. “But I do care for her and I will be supporting her in everything she does. She needs you, Jones. Not your protection, but your support. You are supposed to be her partner. If you really care for her, you should not have left. You should not have given up on her.”

Did he give up on her? Did she give him any choice? She might have. What if he did not leave on that day? What if he followed her instead? He was scared that she would put her life on line with this case. But without him on her side, it was much more dangerous. What did he think will happen after he left? It was selfish of him, he suddenly realized. It was selfish to leave her on her own. _“Do not stand in my way”,_ she said. He should not. He should stand _by_ her.

“Thanks Kevin”, he muttered and finished his drink with a long gulp. He needed to see her. As soon as possible.

* * *

The road to Riverdale never seemed so long. He only had his backpack strapped over his shoulders and enough petrol in his bike to cover the distance. He did not have a second plan what to do if she does not want to talk to him. Maybe he can stay there for as long as she takes to forgive him. He was never big on planning beforehand. He only hoped, she would understand him after he confesses everything. His past. His insecurities. His obsession to keep her safe.

It was late when he finally pulled over near her house. The familiarity of Elm Street welcoming him back. The house was dark except one light in the hall. He checked his watch. Betty maintains a healthy habit when it comes to bedtime. But maybe she was working on a case. He killed the engine, took off his helmet, straightened himself up and raked a hand through his helmet hair. He felt stupid for the rapid beatings of his heart. It is _only_ Betty, he tried to calm down. His mind immediately supplied, it is _Betty_. Each step from the white picket fence to her front door, took more time than the previous one. His feet heavy, breathing troubled. “What if” scenarios running wildly in his mind. What if she does not want to see him? What if she slams the door on his face? What if she hates him now? He let out a long sigh and looked up to the sky, sending a silent prayer to the universe. His fingers hesitated on the doorbell and before he could panic or back down at the last moment, the door opened wide, revealing a fully dressed Betty Cooper, sporting a backpack similar to his own. The blonde collided with his chest, he reacted with a strangled “Ooof”, his hands instinctively coming to grip her waist and hers grabbing his shoulders. They both froze.

“Jug”, she breathed, releasing her hold on him. He promptly removed his hands to shove them in his own pockets, unsure of what to say now, feeling like a complete idiot for not thinking this over, “Betty.”

They stood there, face to face, her door open, a fraction of light spilling over her front porch, making them both barely visible to each other. His fingers twitched to caress her cheek. At the same moment, he saw her fingers starting to curl inside. He had seen her doing this on a few occasions. A few very stressful occasions. He always wondered if she pressed hard enough to draw blood, but never questioned her on this. Now, he hated to think that the cause for her stress was his presence. He reached forward and caught her fingers with his. She inhaled sharply, her bottom lip trapped in between her teeth, her face vulnerable.

“I’m sorry”, they both blurted out at the same time. He shook his head, unable to believe what just happened. She was looking at him with that wide meadow-green eyes of hers and all he could think of was to pull her closer and kiss her.

“I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I thought you were a damsel in distress and I’m the knight in shining armour when in reality it was always the opposite. You saved me in every possible way a human could save another human. I know you don’t need my protection, I’m only here to be with you in whatever you want to explore, in whatever risk you want to take. I’m all yours, Betty Cooper.” He felt a weight lifting from his chest as he finished his apology. Every word reflecting his honesty and sincerity, spoken out loud right from his heart.

“I can take care of myself, Jug.” She spoke softly.

He ducked his head, “I know. and I’m sorry that I was trying to make the decision for you.”

She curled her fingers over his, a watery smile appearing on her lips, “no more secrets and lies?”

He shook his head, echoing her words, confirming them in a determined voice, “No more secrets. No more lies.”

She nodded, “I’m sorry too, Jug. I should not have reacted the way I did. It was my past, overreacting to your protectiveness for me.”

“I know”, he cupped her cheek with one hand. “Don’t be sorry. I should have told you the truth. It was my fault.”

“I…I did not mean when I said that…that you should be in prison”, she covered his palm on her cheek with her own.

“I know”, he whispered.

She sniffed, “I did not know about the gang. I’m sorry if even for a second I let you believe that I despise you.”

His brows furrowed, “how do you know about the gang?”

“Archie”, she replied simply. “Don’t be mad at him. He was defending you.”

He snickered, “yeah. The only thing I asked him not to.”

“I want you to know that being a gang member did not define you then and no way in hell it defines you now. You have come so far. We all have our scars, Jug but you dealt with them beautifully.”

“So did you, Betts”, his eyes searched her face. “You have been so strong. You got past an abusive relationship.”

Her eyes closed for a moment before snapping open, “who told you about Chuck?”

He shrugged, “You did.” She narrowed her eyes and he scrunched his nose, “Okay. So, Kevin came by. But he did not actually take any name.”

She smacked his chest with the back of her palm, “Smartass.”

“You still don’t know many things about me”, he started.

She tilted her head playfully, “enlighten me.”

He opened his mouth to say something when her backpack caught his attention. He is not sure why he did not notice that or her fully clothed condition sooner.

“Are you going somewhere?”

She looked puzzled with the question. He bobbed his chin towards the straps of her backpack and her shoes.

“Oh”, she sounded quite surprised with herself. A hint of pink colouring her face and neck. He cocked his eyebrow in question.

“I was going to board the night train to New York.” She was silent for a beat. And then, “to meet you.”

Their eyes locked. Her gaze flickered to his lips. He swallowed thickly and leaned closer. Her arms came up to snake behind his neck, holding him in place. His lips brushed on hers. He gave her time to pull away. She did not. Instead, she nibbed at his bottom lip. A jolt of electricity ran through his spine as he pressed their mouths together hungrily.

“I wanted to do that for a long time”, he confessed once they broke apart for air. She smiled, “Me too, Jug. You have no idea.”

With that she closed the gap between them again.

***

The kiss was tentative and sweet at first. But soon it ignited a fire inside her. She felt like she was walking on air. It was magic, the way his lips connected with hers. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than she could have imagined and she opened her mouth with a low moan. The kiss obliterated every thought in her mind. Her grasp on him became tighter as he deepened the kiss and they both staggered backward until her back collided with the rail of the stairs. His hand was already slipped under her shirt, fingers splaying over the smooth skin there. She broke their contact only for enough time to close the front door and then she was dragging him upstairs, to her childhood bedroom.

She did not much remember how they got rid of their layers and fell on bed but as their bare skin touched, her usual mode of hurrying her thoughts from one thing to the next was suspended. She was breathless with delight as he showered her with gentle, soft kisses all over her body, each with its own flicker of warmth. He gazed at her lovingly, his eyes softening with tenderness before sparking with something else. A burning desire.

“You are so beautiful, Betty”, he whispered in her ear.

All her inhibitions about her body fading away from her mind at once. As he peppered her with gentle touches of his lips and fingers, sparks flew in every direction, and the world was slowly disappearing around her, along with all of her worries, her troubles and her problems. He made her feel like none of that mattered. She kept her hands locked on the back of his neck, playing with the ends of his hair. In that darkness of her bedroom, all of their secrets were laid bare, all of their passions and the spark of love that existed between them. He told her about his time in gang, the tattoo on his arm, complicated relationship with his father and his deep-seated fear of abandonment. She shared her struggle when her father left, to keep with her mother’s high expectation, her relationship with Chuck, her trust issues. And she realized that even after their big fight, she never stopped trusting him.

* * *

There was a noise. A loud noise. He blindly swatted his hand around to try and stop the offending object from making so much sound so that he could sleep peacefully. It stopped after a few moments. But then, loud knockings on door started. He groaned and burrowed his face deeper into the soft pillow. The pillow had a sweet smell. A scent of vanilla and peach. A smell that felt very well-known to him but he could not remember from where. And then, to his utter horror, his pillow stirred, and moaned. _What the…_ He sat up so quickly that his head started spinning. It was not his room. It had pretty pink wallpapers and neatly arranged bedside table. The curtains were closed but the outside sunlight peered through them, because apparently, they were white laces. His gaze roamed over the room and settled on the soft fluffy duvet on bed. What he assumed as his pillow was the expanse of smooth skin on Betty’s bare back. He winced as the knockings on door resumed in full force. This jerked her awake and she gasped loudly. Their eyes met. Even in this extremely awkward situation, his mind could not help but adore the morning beauty of Betty Cooper. Sheets drawn to her chest, face flustered, golden hair tangled over her head, eyes unfocussed.

“Shit Jug!” she whispered in a state of panic. “you need to leave.”

“Should I just open the door and do the walk of shame?” he suggested. She glared at him. But not for long as Alice’s warning voice echoed through the door, “Elizabeth, I see your backpack on the hall floor, along with another bag, I should mention. You care to explain what happened, young lady?”

“Oh my God!” she buried her face in her hands. During their passionate tryst last night, they completely forgot where both their backpacks were discarded. “Quick. Get under the bed.” She urged.

He looked at her in disbelief, “under the bed? That is your grand idea of my escape?”

“Do you have any better plan?” she hissed.

“How about we hold our heads high and announce…” he started but she tugged at his wrist, suddenly enthusiastic, “the closet.”

Before another word could leave his mouth, in one swift motion, she pushed him among her shirts and dresses and put on her sleep pyjamas. She cracked open the door, “Give me a minute, Mom. I’m getting dressed.”

“Well, hurry up”, Alice regarded her daughter with creased eyebrows but did not pry further. She gave her mother a tight smile and slammed the door shut again.

“I feel like a horny teenager in high school”, he murmured to himself.

“We can’t say anything about… _this_ …to anyone”, she opened the closet door and let him out.

“ _This_ means the amazing sex or the deep conversation we had last night?” he asked thoughtfully. She punched him on his shoulder but would not meet his gaze, “the first one.”

He stifled his laughter seeing the tip of her ears turning pink, “Did you just agree that the sex was amazing?”

“Oh my God, Jughead!” her whole face was positively flaming now. “Okay. Fine. It was amazing and I loved it. Can we stop talking about it now?”

“Do you regret it?” this time his voice was serious. A part of his heart already sinking with disappointment.

“No”, she exclaimed instantly and pulled him into a quick kiss as if to prove her point. “Not at all. I don’t regret a single moment of our night.”

“Did you call it our night?” his grin was back.

She shoved him not so gently, “Don’t push it.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, don't kill me but I just realized that there is no way I will be able to wrap up the mystery in next chapter. Hence, the increase in no of total chapters. But I promise that I will post weekly to finish this in time and the last chapter will be totally murder-free and fun. 🙂🙂  
> As always, I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.❤❤

It was not as easy as they thought. Jughead somehow managed to make use of an old rusty ladder, which Betty positioned carefully in line with her bedroom window, to flee Cooper House undetected. He headed straight for Five Seasons, not wanting to confront Veronica in early morning even before he had his coffee. He had the ridiculously pricey coffee and breakfast at a Starbucks instead of Pop’s. But as soon as he reached station, Betty could not manage but jump from her desk. She schooled her expression quickly. Apparently not quick enough for Joaquin, who snorted in amusement, eyes flickering between two of them. Reggie Mantle’s expression was sombre. He regarded Jughead and growled, “Jones, how dare you set foot here again? You disappeared without as much as a heads up.”

“I’m sorry, Mantle. I really am.” He said sincerely. Reggie bobbed his head, “I will forgive you if Betty does.”

“She does”, Betty blurted out and her face flushed with embarrassment. Reggie squinted his eyes at her. She stammered, “I mean. Yes. Okay. Jughead, you are forgiven. But don’t vanish again without letting us know.” She cleared her throat awkwardly.

“That’s it? You won’t even ask him why?” Reggie asked somewhat offended. “you grilled me for an hour when I bailed on Ginger during Junior Prom preparation.” 

“Maybe Jones already explained to her last night?” Joaquin supplied unhelpfully, clearly trying to hide a grin.

Betty started. Her eyes wide in horror. “No”, she managed to wheeze out, more loudly than necessary. “Nobody met nobody last night.”

“Relax, Cooper” Joaquin leaned back on his chair. “I just took a guess.”

“Well, your guess is wrong because Jughead came today morning straight from his hotel”, she retorted.

“How exactly do you know that?” Joaquin lifted one eyebrow at her. She opened and closed her mouth several times without any words coming out. He thought it was a cute impression of a goldfish. But as soon as he decided to help her with a white lie, it backfired.

“I texted her”, he said at the same time she demanded, “I’m a detective. I deduced.”

Joaquin only scratched his chin lazily, “hmm. Interesting.”

He tried to sound convincing enough as he illustrated, “I was driving whole night.”

Reggie suddenly left his chair to rush to Jughead, “your eyes are blinking rapidly, Jones. It’s a lie.”

Joaquin casually supplied, “not to mention the thin sheen of sweat on your forehead.”

Jughead groaned audibly. He has always considered himself a good liar, not a quality he was proud of, but hiding his true feelings has become a second nature to him at this point. Admittedly, his lying skills have never been tested against any professional detectives, Veronica could have passed for one though.

Reggie’s hands flew to Jughead’s collar. Instinctively he took a step back. But the detective stopped him with a coy smile on his face, “Holy shit, Jones. You totally got laid last night.”

“I’m sorry, what?” he exclaimed to which Reggie’s smile only got wider, “you have hickeys all over your upper chest, man.”

Betty suddenly leaned closer with interest, “Let me see?”

“Okay”, he instantly fastened the topmost buttons of his flannel. “Can we get back to business?”

Sherriff Keller’s voice reverberated behind them, “why was not I invited to this welcome party?” the elder man had a knowing smile on his face as he came closer and clapped Jughead on the back.

“Welcome back, Jones”, then he added in a lower voice, “Do not mess up this time.”

“I won’t”, he replied sincerely.

***

She was itching to discuss the developments and her analysis of Dorothy case with him. The murderboard was setup in an abandoned store room at the back of the station. As soon as others were distracted with work, she dragged him to the dark room.

“Whoa…are you so desperate for the second round, Cooper?” he commented playfully, a smug grin appearing on his face.

“Easy there, tiger. I wanted to show you this”, she switched on the light and closed the door warily, making sure that nobody was following them or lingering in the corridor. 

His attention immediately got captured by the giant murder board and post-it notes. She filled him with her progress till now.

“Where did Donna Swett get the original file?” he asked, startled.

“No idea”, she shrugged. “But the file does not help much.”

“Okay. So, this shooting was similar to yours. Then, maybe it was a hired gun back then.”

“Possible. But we can’t follow that lead. It was a long time ago. The lead we could follow was Joe Fogarty who is now in hospital.”

“When did you say he got into the fight?”

“I did not get exact date but around the same time Donna gave me the file.”

“Coincidence?”

“Not likely.”

“We have only one way to find out.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Reopen the Morgan murder case”, they both confirmed in unison.

Morgan murder case had more paper trail than Dorothy Miller one. They had the original case file and all the paper clips Diana thought was related to her mother’s last working case were with them. They settled on the floor, rescanning through all the available information. Diana gave her a lot of old newspaper cuttings, but no note or official case paper from her mother’s documents. When asked, she confirmed that was all she had. The legal clinic which Dorothy and Ashley worked for, was closed over a decade ago. So, that was a dead end. They were surer now that the official file which Dorothy was working on, was stolen from her car. It was in the police report that the car was ransacked but they concluded that was for money. How much money one carries when they were just driving from work to home? Also, the route Mrs. Miller took on that day was through Fox Forest, an unusual and longer route for her as her daughter pointed out. There was no mention of her call logs in the case file. It was evident that nobody tried enough for the case to be investigated properly. He was thumbing through the newspaper clippings, when one of them caught his eye. He dropped other papers unceremoniously to pick that small yellowish piece of paper up close to read the news. At first glance, it would not seem anything connected to this case. That was the reason they did not notice this one before. Dorothy Miller obviously thought it important though. It was not even a news, but an announcement for engagement in Riverdale Register, between one Donna Swett and Scott Raglan.

Her eyes were also drawn to the paper and her jaws dropped. The links were clear now. For whatever reason Donna and Detective Raglan’s wedding was cancelled, they were definitely still close, if Donna’s testimony in Morgan murder case was any proof of that. The case was circumstantial at best until she appeared on the witness stand. For their own investigation purpose, they dismissed her testimony as of now. All left was Joe’s hand prints in Morgan’s car and his lack of solid alibi. But he was also super drunk when the Police found him. It was highly possible that he was telling the truth and he was actually drinking all night alone at his home. 

“We need to talk to Joe”, he concluded. But her eyes were already twinkling with a new plan. They obviously needed to pay a visit to Joe Fogarty if and when he gets out of coma. But before that, they should go to one person, who, hopefully, might be able to throw some light on the relationship of Donna and Officer Raglan.

The door of the room suddenly shook with violent banging on the frame and Veronica’s high-pitched voice pierced through it, “Jughead Jones, I swear to God if you don’t open this door right now and give me a proper explanation of your behaviour, I will publish your full name in all popular newspapers by tomorrow.”

His eyes grew comically wide as he whispered in terror, “how did she know that I’m in here?”

She frowned, “What is your full name? Come to think of it, I have never asked.”

“Seriously?” he hissed. “That is your concern right now?”

“Forsythe…”, Veronica started only to be interrupted by him, flying the door open with a lot of fake enthusiasm and hugging her, “Ronnie. So nice to see you too.”

The dark-haired woman wiggled to make herself free from his embrace and glared at her friend. And then her gaze landed on Betty who apparently has the worst poker face in the world. Because as soon as she saw both of them together, her eyes darted between them a few times before exclaiming, “Oh my God! You two totally had sex!”

She opened her mouth to protest but Jughead grumbled at Veronica, “get a mic, why don’t you?”

* * *

Scott Raglan’s house had the same old melancholic vibe all around it, just like the last time they visited. Overgrown flowerbeds in the front garden, abandoned rusty swing collecting dust on front porch, picket fence in urgent need of maintenance. She looked at the house almost sadly, remembering the time in her middle school when she used to come here once in a month, with Polly. Both their hair tied back in ponytails, skirts crisp and creaseless. The house was full of colour then. They never saw Mr. Raglan actually, he was never home. Mrs. Raglan always arranged these little monthly contests for the kids she used to teach piano. Cooper girls were among her favourites. Probably because she was upright and always put together, a nature ingrained in both Betty and Polly by their mother from an early age. Raglan house that time was an exact reflection of their own house, not a single thing out of place, polished photo frames capturing faces with fake smiles, neatly mowed lawn and tidily arranged throw pillows. She was not very fond of the façade, in both Cooper and Raglan house, but now standing in front of the red door with paints chipping in places, she felt a pang of sadness.

Susan Raglan opened the door within moments. How much ever clumsy the house has become, she still has the same prim appearance.

“Detective Cooper, how may I help you?”

Yes, four years of regular lessons and over a decade of familiarity were not enough to be on first name basis with Mrs. Raglan.

“Hello Mrs. Raglan”, she could not help but stand straighter and square her shoulders. “Is this a good time to talk to you?”

Jughead, seemingly unaware of the formal exchange, promptly added, “Can we come inside?”

She glowered at him. But Susan opened the door wider, “Sure. Is this about my husband again?”

“Yes. We are sorry to disturb you again”, she removed her shoes and placed them properly before moving on to the sofa.

“No problem. But I don’t understand why everybody is suddenly so interested in him.”

They were startled with that. Betty asked, “Everybody? You mean somebody else came in asking about him?”

Mrs. Raglan looked surprised, “You don’t know? Sheriff Keller came after a few days of your first visit. He also asked to see Scott’s study. I told him that you two already have been there but he insisted.”

That was a new piece of information. Betty and Jughead’s eyes met. They filed the information away for future reference.

“We actually wanted to see if you can tell us anything about Donna Swett?” he commented. He was strolling through the room, examining each and every photo frame with interest, Susan Raglan’s uneasy gaze following him. Betty knew that her former teacher did not like any guest to simply walk around. She concentrated on Susan’s expressions instead. The elder woman’s face faltered at the mention of Donna’s name. But she managed to make it impassive soon enough, “I’m sorry. I have never heard of the name.”

“Are you sure?” he furrowed his brows. “Because, we know for a fact that your husband was engaged to her prior marrying you.”

“So, he had a relationship in the past. Why does that matter?” replied Mrs. Raglan defensively.

“It does not”, Betty inserted herself in the conversation. The woman clearly knew about Donna. Why she was hiding the fact was a mystery. “We only want to know more about Ms. Swett. That is all.”

“I only know that his ex-girlfriend left him. I did not know her name.”

“Mrs. Raglan”, Jughead inquired while studying their wedding photo. “Where did you and your husband meet?”

“We met at a Fundraising Event arranged by the Sheriff’s office. It was love at first sight and we kept meeting…”

He interjected, “I’m sure that is a very compelling love story, Ma’am. But were you connected to the Police Department, before your marriage?”

She started at that. “Of course, I had my uncle who was the Sheriff at that time.”

“And that would be Sheriff Minnetta?” Betty exclaimed. All the dots getting connected in her mind. There were still a lot of questions unanswered. But Sheriff Minnetta was one of the shady Police Officers who was infamous for his alleged ties to illegal businesses, nothing was ever proved. If he was somehow mixed up in the Morgan or Miller murder cases that would make so much sense. Scott Raglan was bound to save his own uncle-in-law from anything. And in the process, he might have become involved in those activities himself. And, Sheriff Minnetta was dangerous. Even after his retirement he had a long reach.

She suddenly rose on her feet, thanking Mrs. Raglan for her time and dragging Jughead out of the house. As soon as they were out in the open, he complained, “Ow. Your nails left scratch marks on my wrist.”

“They will leave marks all over your body if you don’t shut up and let me think”, she threatened him. He quirked one eyebrow slyly, “That was kinky, Cooper.”

She only smirked and pressed hard on the gas. He made a sound, grabbing his seat with both hands, eyes closed.

***

“Why was he even made Sheriff if he was an underworld don?” he questioned once Betty explained to him about Minnetta. She rolled her eyes at his exaggeration, “he was not a mafia kingpin. He was just a corrupted police officer.”

“yeah”, he scoffed. “who was involved in at least two murders.”

“Jug”, she suddenly stopped outside the office. “Why was Sheriff Keller at Raglan residence?”

“Beats me”, he shrugged. “You should ask him.”

“Do you think he will tell us”, the crease between her eyebrows was deeper now. She knew she was overlooking something in those case files. Something that was not important at the first glance, just like the engagement announcement. Dorothy Miller’s paper clip collection had few photos from different events. Everywhere three faces were together, Raglan, Minnetta and Keller. Tom Keller and Scott Raglan were detectives back then, they looked very close to the Sheriff.

“Betty”, her musing broke with his voice. She focussed on him. Now he was sporting a deep frown on his face. “When was Minnetta made a Sheriff?”

“I don’t remember exactly”, she pursed her lips. “But it was around 2002-03.”

He touched her arm to stop and look at him. “The same time Southside High was closed and Ashley Morgan was murdered?”

They stared at each other, gears turning in their heads, a rush of adrenaline coursing through their veins. The feeling of finding a light after a long search. The feeling of being close to solve a mystery. The excitement of running into a chaos and chasing the criminals.

“Is it happening?” a cheerful voice made both of them jump apart. Kevin was standing there with an innocent smile and hopeful eyes. “Are you two finally professing your undying love for each other?”

She sighed heavily, “Nothing is happening, Kev. We were just in the middle of discussing a mystery.”

“The mystery of each other’s body parts?” Kevin suggested.

She blushed furiously. He would never become tired of admiring how adorable she looks when she is suddenly shy. But they had a murder to solve.

“Keller, would you happen to know a Scott Raglan?” he asked nonchalantly. She shot daggers at him with her eyes. Kevin did not mind anything though, “Officer Raglan? Dad’s colleague? Sure. He was Dad’s good friend. It was sad to see him lose his fight with cancer. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing. His name came up in an old case”, he deflected. Kevin nodded, “Yeah. He was a good detective. He put a lot of Southside lowlifes behind the bars.”

Jughead hummed in false appreciation. Betty tightened her ponytail and exhaled sharply. It looked like she was preparing herself for something unpleasant. He lifted one eyebrow at her to which she only shook her head.

“Kev, do you know if he was somehow connected to any illegal activity?”

“What! No. Absolutely impossible”, Kevin protested immediately. “He was the Sheriff’s relative. He would never do anything like that.”

“Right. But Sheriff Minnetta himself was not very clean.” She prodded.

“I really don’t believe that. For all we know, those might be just rumours and Mayor Bracken realized his potential. Don’t you remember how Southside became peaceful after they came in power?”

Jughead and Betty’s eyes met again, doing quick calculations. The Mayor chose the Sheriff and they both came in power around the same time. That was incidentally same with the timeline of Southside High closing and Ashley Morgan murder. There must be some connections. There was something that tied all of those events and all these people in one thread. What was that?

***

Jughead nudged her once they were alone again in the pantry, filling their coffee mugs.

“We might need to enlist the help of a third person.”

She sighed, exasperated. “Please don’t tell me that’s Kevin.”

“What, no. Of course, not”, he countered. She was tensed. He could tell that from her posture, shoulders slumped, fingers twitching. He put his coffee down and rubbed her shoulders, making soothing circular movements with his hand. She relaxed a bit but not completely. He moved his fingers to loosen her ponytail, he always wondered how she does not get a headache from that tight and high hair binding. He started massaging her scalp and she moaned, making cute little noises that was turning him on.

“Okay. You need to stop that or I’m going to get into trouble”, he informed her curtly but did not stop his ministrations. She looked at him with hooded eyes, catching her lip in between her teeth and made another noise of approval. He grunted, “Baby, you are killing me here.”

She ran her hands up and down his arms.

“Um…whom are we asking for help?” she practically purred, her touch soft and face upturned. He had to physically remove himself from her personal space to be able to answer her. “Your Mom.”

“Way to kill the mood, Jones”, she huffed.

He was grinning wide now. He knew that she would react this way. But it was also true that they would need Alice’s assistance in finding out the truth about a High School closing. Ashley Morgan was not a native of Riverdale. After her untimely demise, her parents came to collect whatever she owned here, and left. It would be hard to trace them and near impossible to get anything of value to the investigation from them. On the other hand, Alice could give them access to old copies of Riverdale Register. It has always been the best newspaper of the town. They would have much more useful information about the abrupt closure of that school.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get me wrong, I love a badass and protective Jughead. But I also adored how he tried to hide behind Betty in S1 while snooping through Jason's bedroom when Nana Rose caught them. Just a thought.
> 
> As always, comments/kudos are appreciated, folks. ❤❤

Jughead had no idea why they required an appointment to meet Alice Cooper in her Riverdale Register office. But Betty rolled her eyes and murmured something along the lines of maintaining professionalism. So, they called her personal assistant at her office and managed to secure an appointment for the next day. They did not want to take the squad car for this visit as this was more of personal nature. And they were already late, a big negative point in Alice’s book. Betty immediately went for his bike as they stepped out of Sheriff’s station. When she started swinging her leg over the bike without sparing a glance at him, he was terrified. He had seen her driving under time crunch. He loves speed, he really does. But he loves his life and his motorcycle more. She quirked an eyebrow at him, amused with his facial expression.

“What? Are you afraid?”

“Pfft”, he tried to act cool. They may have had another round of passionate love making and secret sharing session last night in his hotel room, but he was not about to admit his dread over her impeccable but dangerous driving skills.

“Then what are you waiting for James Dean? Toss me the keys and hop on.” She put on his customized crown painted helmet and looked at him expectantly for the keys. He studied her, straddling his bike, wearing his helmet, and something warm bloomed in his chest. He could not remember when he felt so whole last time, maybe he never did. She is the smartest, kindest and most beautiful person he has ever met. She is like the fire in winter days, burning herself to ashes for other people, a steady source of protection and comfort to all around her. Before her, he had a couple of relationships and he was faithful to them. He was not a person who believed in one night stands and speed dating. But there was never this all-consuming affection in his heart. His walls were always up and emotions were controlled. Now, it's all so real. He needs her in his life like he needs air to breathe. He trusts her with his life. It is really funny how four months ago, on a whim he decided to venture to an unknown small town from New York City in search for a muse, an inspiration for his writing. Basically, it was just an excuse to avoid his publisher and manager. But he never thought he would meet his love of life here. He wonders what would have happened if he had not taken that journey? His fate would’ve been written in different ink. Or maybe in every alternate universe, he would have met her, just under different circumstances.

“Jug?”

She was standing in front of him now, eyes concerned. He snapped out of his haze and offered her the keys. She accepted them but still her worried expression did not wane.

“Are you alright? You kind of zoned out there for a minute.”

“I know. Just thinking about my book.”

“Oh yeah, when is it coming in stores?”

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to stand in queue for four hours, this time. I will send you a signed copy.” He chuckled.

She groaned, “I’ll kill Kevin.”

The journey was like looking death in the eyes. For some inexplicable reason, Riverdale traffic was horrible at this hour of day. And Betty zigzagged her way through the sea of cars, without compromising the speedometer. Entire time he clutched on her for dear life, eyes closed. Finally, when they made it to the newspaper office, unscathed, he heaved a sigh of relief.

* * *

Alice was waiting for them in her airconditioned Chief Editor’s cabin. Dressed in a cream blouse, grey skirt and floral scarf, she looked radiant.

“Jughead! How lovely to see you again. When did you return to town?” she was beaming at him but there was something in her tone that made him think that was a trick question. He dared a glance at Betty from the corner of his eyes and she appeared anxious. Chewing her bottom lip, that was a nervous tick for her. _Yup, definitely a trick question_.

“Oh, I did not think that was such a difficult question”, Alice commented, a hint of jest in her voice.

“Yesterday morning”, he blurted out.

“And you are staying with the Lodges?”

Is this another trick question? His eyes practically begged Betty for help. The blonde promptly interrupted her mother’s interrogation, “Mom, we have important things to discuss.”

“I’m sure you do, Elizabeth”, the elder Cooper woman dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “I’m simply making conversation with Jughead. We all missed him, did not we?”

Betty’s face went impossibly red as she averted her gaze. She remembered how she snapped at the kids when they asked for Jughead while he was away. Alice continued breezily, “Oh Jughead, I hope your bike was not towed after being parked in front of our house the whole night…before you officially returned to Riverdale?”

Now it was his turn for blushing. They did not know that Alice noticed his bike that night. His morning closet adventure was for nothing.

“So, what brings you two here?” she clasped her hands under her chin and looked at them as if nothing happened. He silently debated in his mind whether or not Alice heard Betty’s moans and gasps that night. He has learnt soon that Betty Cooper was one of the most vocal persons in bed.

Betty composed herself first, she smoothed her hands over her trousers, licked her lips, tightened her ponytail and cleared her throat to talk business.

“What can you tell us about the shutdown of Southside High?”

Alice’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. She tutted as if disappointed, “Elizabeth, I thought you had more serious business than discussing about a closed high school.”

“Actually, this closing of this school might have been related to more than one murder”, he quickly jumped in to support Betty.

“Hmm”, Alice considered their concern for a few moments before standing up and leaving the cabin as she gestured them to follow her. Her heels clicked on the polished floor. People working in their cubicles looked up with respect and fear. She stopped in front of one particular cubicle, a scrawny young man was hunched over his desk, thick glasses balanced on his nose, unaware of his surrounding and his boss’s presence. Alice huffed in annoyance and tapped her perfectly manicured nails against his desk impatiently. The guy startled and looked up. His face broke into an admiring grin as soon as he saw Betty.

“Doiley, Betty and Jughead are looking for some old records. Please help them.” she commanded. The guy jolted upright, raking his hand through his greasy hair and sporting an expectant look.

“It’s my pleasure. How are you Betty? Long time, huh?”

The blonde looked uneasy as she sent a polite smile his way and nodded, “Yeah. I’m good, thanks.”

“So, how is your job?” he asked eagerly.

“All good”, she maintained her Cooper manners. Doiley shook his head several times, stealing glances at her. They followed him to an old record room where apparently all the copies of published Riverdale Register are stored. The room also has a computer for record classification. They requested him for all copies starting from September, 2001 till March 2002. He went through the data and opened the online archive for them. She bit her lower lip, feeling awkward, “Do you have hard copies too?”

He looked at her like she had grown two heads, but said nothing. As he carried boxes from different shelves to the table, he kept talking, “Betty, are you currently seeing anyone?”

“Really now?” Jughead muttered under his breath. She bit her cheek and made eye contact with him, “kind of.”

“You mean it’s not serious?” the guy did not give up.

“Maybe. Maybe not”, she did not take her eyes off of him. His lips twitched into a soft smile.

“oh, it’s definitely serious. I have seen them together. They are solid”, he confirmed to Doiley. The man’s face fell. He turned to Betty for confirmation but she appeared too busy digging into the boxes to notice him.

“Okay then. I will leave you two to it”, Doiley mumbled and left the room.

***

Her heart swelled at his declaration of their serious relationship. They did not discuss anything about labels. They did not have time. Not with a complicated mystery unsolved. But for her, she knew what they had, she would not be able to replicate with another man. She could travel the world or to another dimension, but she would come right back to him when she would think of going home. She had many admirers growing up, though never had time to entertain the idea of a serious relationship, except the one with Chuck. But with Jughead, it feels like they were born to be together and run the same course. They were the protectors of one another, confidantes and friends. He understood and admired her in a way nobody ever did. So, the hint of jealousy and sincerity in his voice about their relationship, felt good.

“Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed suddenly, breaking her trance. At her questioning glance, he stepped closer, a bunch of old copies of the paper from December,2001 clutched in his hand. It seems the news made headline for days, if not weeks. Southside High students were reported to experience mass hysteria on a regular basis throughout the month. Doctors could not find anything wrong with their general health. Initially the police dismissed it saying a new trick for the students to escape school. But the reports kept coming in January, 2002 when the school opened after holidays. A committee of health workers was formed to investigate the cause. They suspected the source as the ground water in the school. As a result of this, then Mayor, Ronald Bracken, ordered a soil test of the ground.

They were frantically going through each day. It was like a mystery novel. New questions popping up with every turn of page. It was a year of Mayoral election, so the Mayor’s office was desperate to prove their efficiency. Ronald Bracken already announced his retirement from politics. His son, William Bracken was running for the election. He was busy in campaigns but managed time to expedite the soil test with personal requests. The report showed nothing. Finally, they decided to close the school in February, 2002.

There was a knock at the door. Alice glided in after few moments. Seeing their almost blank gazes, she explained, “I gave you time to be decent.”

“Mom”, her face was burning. Sometimes she could not believe her mother when she behaved more like Kevin or Veronica.

“What? I’m happy for you two.”

“We are solving a crime here, not canoodling.”

“I don’t have anything against your …”

“Mom, will you please stop and maybe help us to speed up this process?”

“Oh”, Alice looked surprised. “I came to ask if you two are ready for dinner. Then we all can go together.”

“Dinner?” both of them were puzzled. But when they glanced at the clock, it was already dinner time. They did not know how last couple of hours passed. They were so caught up in the mystery.

“Do you think we can borrow these copies?” she asked her mother.

Alice furrowed her brows in contemplation, then nodded, “Alright, but it stays in our house.”

That was more than okay with her. They quickly took snapshots from the papers that they already covered and packed the rest of them to take home. The plan was formed without much argument. They would pick up Noah and Sarah from Mrs. Finnigan’s and go to Pop’s for dinner. Jughead would join them in Pop’s, then he had to be back at Veronica’s as the brunette had already threatened to tear apart his hotel room if he did not show up tonight.

***

Noah and Sarah were absolutely delighted at the sight of Jughead. Even before Alice could kill the engine, they flung open the car doors and bolted towards him. He was nursing a cigarette in the parking of Pop’s, leaning against the wall. Seeing the twins approaching him, he threw the filter at the ground and smashed it with his boots before catching both of them in his arms. Betty watched the scene unfolding in front of her. He was always good with kids, probably because of years of practice with his own sister. But the thing that caught her off-guard was how she was not irritated but worried for his health spotting him smoke. She did not realize when her every feeling toward his smallest of actions changed. It did not happen overnight for sure. But she suppressed any feelings of weakness for him in her heart for a long time. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Alice’s face was soft and affectionate as she spoke, “he is a good man, Elizabeth. I meant it when I said that I’m happy for you two.”

“I don’t know, Mom”, she confessed in a small voice, keeping her vision fixed where the raven-haired man was laughing and chatting with her elated niece and nephew. “We live very different lives. He is in the city, I’m here. He is a famous author. I’m a nobody.”

“Okay. You are getting ahead of yourself here, honey”, Alice touched her arm. “You are not a nobody. And you two can work anything out the same way you mended your differences last time.”

She smiled at her mother. These little moments make her realize that she took the right decision to be back here. Some days she longs for the bigger cases of NYPD but in times like these she feels grateful that she could be with her family.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Although I would recommend a more silent reconciliation next time”, Alice stated airily before she got out of the car and joined the threesome. Jughead threw a quick glance at her to make sure she was okay. She was flustered from her mother’s comment but appreciated his concern all the same. By the time she controlled her expression to appear neutral and met them inside the diner, Pop Tate already placed her vanilla milkshake with others’ orders on the table of the booth her family captured. It looked like a perfect family. Jughead and the kids by her side, her mother’s eyes glinting with happiness. She felt fully content and at peace with herself after a long time. Probably the first time in her life.

* * *

As he set one foot inside the Lodge apartment, other foot still out of the door, his best friends pounced on him, with two totally different lines of questioning.

“Jug, are you sure about this?” Archie demanded at the same time Veronica started pouring wine for all of them, “I want every detail, right now.”

“What if you are hurt again?”

“How was the sex? Amazing? Mind-blowing? Incredible?”

“I want you to be happy, you know right?”

“When did you actually roll into town and why did not you tell us?”

He massaged his temple with his thumb and index fingers knowing that he was in for a long night.

“Do you guys mind if I come in first?”

To their credit, both fell silent at once. Once he was inside, freshened up and flopped on sofa, the redhead and the brunette settled on his either sides. He almost laughed at their antics. It reminded him of high school. He never dated seriously in school but Veronica insisted that he needed a date for Senior Prom and set him up with Ethel Muggs. That girl had a serious crush on him and it was fucking awkward that he kept shoving food in his mouth all night, to avoid to accompany her to the dance floor.

“Okay. What do you want to know?”

“Everything about the sex”, Veronica eyes lit up with obvious glee while Archie looked concerned, “What exactly happened?”

“First of all, we are _not_ discussing my sex life. Secondly, Arch, why does Betty know about my time in the gang?”

His best friend had the decency to look sheepish and Veronica rolled her eyes, “Fine. Don’t tell me. It’s not like Betty is not gonna give me details during our girl time.”

“For the last time, we are _not_ going there.” He grumbled and then patted Archie on his back, “it’s okay. Don’t worry about me. She is the best thing ever happened to me.”

“Great. So, problem sorted. You are bringing her as your date in our wedding. That would go really well with my other plans”, the dark-haired girl started typing in her phone furiously, “I’ll finalize the seating arrangements right away.”

Archie was alarmed, “Babe, we still have six months.”

“Only six months”, Veronica whined. “I am yet to decide on the colour scheme of the napkins, confirm the floral arrangements and choose the cake flavour.”

“We can settle those matters later, Ronnie”, Archie started rubbing her feet which were now sprawled across Jughead’s lap who was still sandwiched between the couple.

Veronica huffed at her fiancée’s comment and promptly sat upright, “Later? Are you even serious about our relationship, Archie?” The brunette stomped her feet as she trudged to her bedroom. Archie looked at him, helplessly. He held up his hands in defeat, “No. I’m not getting into this again. Goodnight, Arch.”

Knowing his friends, there is every chance that he would stumble upon them making out on the kitchen counter next morning.

***

His back hit the soft duvet in Lodge guestroom and he felt his eyes drooping with exhaustion. Glimpses from past two days flashed through his mind. Betty’s golden hair splayed on his bare chest. Betty responding with delicious noises to his touches. The way her eyes twinkled and her breathy voice when she screamed his name again and again. The feel of her fingers trailing down his tattoo as he told her about it. The sensation of her lips on his as she listened to his hard childhood stories. His awe at her strength as she recounted her father’s abandonment, her relation with Chuck, Polly’s death. Their time together building a theory around the case. The old copies of Riverdale Register. His mind was aimlessly wandering between slumber and consciousness when suddenly he memorized something. The papers they confiscated from White Wyrm, in the drug case, there were a few repeating initials they were not able to match with any known person and those were all in debit column. The payment pattern indicated a regular pay out. That time they concluded probably those were the suppliers who delivered raw materials to make Jingle Jangle. But now he remembered three of the initials, nothing suspicious if you don’t try to backtrack them to persons tied to Dorothy murder case. D.S, T.K and S.R. His breath stuttered. If those were really the initials for Donna Swett, Tom Keller and Scott Raglan, why were they getting paid? The only person who maintained that record book, Malachi, was dead. On a whim, he grabbed his phone from nightstand. It was past midnight. But he needed to talk to Betty.

She answered on the first ring. It was surprising that she sounded wide awake, “Jug? I was just about to call you.”

“What happened?” he asked, a little worried.

Her voice was torn between excitement and apprehension, “I remembered something from the drug case.”

“The initials in debit columns?” he chuckled humourlessly.

“You…you remember them too?”

“Yeah. Too weird to be a coincidence.”

“I recalled another strange thing. I was going through the old papers and a news caught my eyes. After Joe Fogarty was arrested, his ten-year-old son, Fangs Fogarty was placed in care of his grandfather in Greendale. I know him. He attended high school with us, Kevin even dated him for one year. We did not know that he was the son of Joe Fogarty. But Mr. Keller was against this relationship, when Kevin asked why, he was very secretive. Later I found out that he was sponsoring Fangs’ education. At that time, we thought he did not want Kevin to be in a relationship with someone who was financially indebted to his father. Now I think there was something else.”

“Like the money was dirty or it was his guilty conscience to attempt to give Fangs a life he deserved?” he mulled over the ideas. There was a prolonged silence in the line.

“Betty? You there?”

She exhaled sharply. Her voice was strained, “Tom Keller has always been a father figure to me. I idolized him, I admired him, I wanted to be like him. I can’t…I can’t do this, Jug. What was his role in all these? Why was he in the drug sale records? Was he actually involved in Malachi’s business? Why did he visit Raglan residence after we did?”

“Hey, calm down, Betts. Take a deep breath. We don’t know that he was dirty. Hell, we don’t even know the initials T.K. in Malachi’s files belongs to him. Maybe he was just helping Fangs. Maybe he had his suspicions that Joe was not guilty and he tried to compensate that through funding his son’s education.”

“I hope you are right. I hope he is not related to any of these. But until we know for sure, we cannot remove him from our suspect’s list.”

“Right. Okay. What do you want to do? Talk to him? Confront him?”

“Not yet. Let’s talk to Fangs tomorrow. I searched him, he lives in Seaside now. It’s an hour’s ride. We will take your bike.”

He was nodding along her words, though she cannot see him. But the last bit was disturbing. He did not have a death wish.

“Why can’t we take your car?"

“Because, I can’t tilt my car enough to pass through the narrow spaces in between the lines of cars.” She stated as if that was obvious.

* * *

Disappointment and broken trust are nothing new in Betty’s life. Sometimes she wonders if she is the one placing her trust in wrong people time and again. She clearly remembers the day her father left them. She was not old enough to understand the meaning of divorce and betrayal. But she was heartbroken over losing the man who let her get dirty with grease while working on car engines himself and fight monsters under her bed at night. As she grew up, her mother was relentless in instilling the distrust for any man in their hearts. Even after that, she believed in Jason’s love for Polly. And this time she was furious when the redhead shirked from his responsibilities leaving her sister alone. From the immense hatred for Jason, she fell for Chuck who appeared gentle and protective for her initially, until the attention became possessiveness and protecting became abuse. And now Tom Keller? The only one perfect gentleman from her childhood, who cared for her, whom she respected and followed, is about to turn out like the others. Or maybe her intuition knew that Keller was somehow not trustworthy enough for Dorothy case. She remembered first time the Sheriff saw her working on the case and immediately questioned why she wanted to reopen it. Something was in his voice that made her lie to him every time she was chasing something related to this case. Her heart ran faster as she prepared for the day. She called Fangs to fix a meeting for afternoon. He was surprisingly easy to convince about the meeting. Dorothy case was eating her away more now after they started making some progress. The end was near, she could feel it in her guts.

She did not want to join Reggie for the break-in and burglary case reported by some Mrs. Svenson. Reggie sounded shocked over the phone, but she simply gave excuse of some personal work.

***

She felt Jughead’s hold on her tighten when she took a sharp turn towards Seaside. The rest of the journey was fairly okay because of the good condition of the highway and lack of traffic. Fangs gave her the address of a small restaurant where he now works as a chef. She recognised him easily. He has not changed much, sporting the same brown crew cut and a warm smile. He did not look astonished when they asked him about his father and Tom Keller’s involvement in his life. He lost his mother at a young age and was visiting his grandparents’ house in Greendale the night Ashley Morgan murder happened. When Joe was declared guilty after the trial, social services initially arranged for him to stay with his grandfather. But the old man passed away when Fangs was fourteen. The system placed him with a foster family in Riverdale. He did not know anything about Tom Keller’s sponsorship of his education until he came to live with his foster parents. It was true that the family was not very well-off but he did not really think they needed Keller’s assistance. It was Tom who insisted on giving Fangs everything he needed, special tutoring, money to pursue his hobbies like photography and football. He did never know why Keller was so drawn towards him. Once, the elder man told that he believed Fangs should not have to pay for his father’s crimes. And as for his father, Fangs really was not in touch with him anymore. After he turned eighteen, Joe called him a few times, claiming that he was innocent. Fangs did not believe him very much.

“Maybe he did not kill Ms. Morgan, I don’t know”, the man shrugged, “but he did a lot of horrible things as part of the Serpents.”

“That should not have landed him in prison for the rest of his life”, Betty countered.

“It does not matter now, does it?”

“It matters to me”, she declared with determination. “I will not let an innocent man paying price for someone else’s crime. Not if I can do something about it.”

They were sitting in a booth near one of the wide windows in the restaurant overlooking the street. Betty and Jughead sat side by side while Fangs took the seat across from them. The diner remains closed for two hours in the afternoon before resuming its’ operation again around four. They selected this time to meet Fangs, so the booths were empty except theirs. She felt it before she saw anything, she did not have enough time to turn her head but from the corner of her eye, a flash of something was registered. Without a moment’s hesitation, she yelled, “down” and dove under the table pulling Jughead down with her. Bullets pierced through the window shattering the glass and lodged in the booth backrest where her body had been slumped less than a second before. There was the sound of starting of a car engine outside. She leapt on her feet to chase them but Jughead managed to stand up fast enough to hold her back. She struggled against him madly, “Get off me, Jug. I need to catch those bastards.”

“That’s what they want, Betts, to have you alone. We need to think rationally.”

She yanked herself free but did not argue further. Fangs went white in shock. They apologized to him copiously and assured that he was safe. The bullet was meant for them, well more likely for Betty, not him. The police were quick to come. The officer, McCarthy had heard a lot about Betty and looked totally smitten with her. Though she could hear Jughead grumbling, she was thankful that the officer’s promptness saved them from going to the station. They both gave brief statements and described their visit as a personal one, citing Betty’s old friendship with Fangs.

***

On their way back, she took a turn and steered them to a spot near Sweetwater River through Fox Forest. It was her favourite spot as a child. Whenever she was feeling sad or pensive, she would come here, alone. The tall trees surrounding the place made a canopy overhead, blocking the sunlight to make the place cool but at nights you could still watch the stars through the branches. The river can be seen flowing smoothly over the colourful pebbles, the sound of water lapping at the edges creating a perfect background melody. She kicked down the stand and got off the bike, gesturing Jughead to follow her. Once they were settled on the soft grass, leaning against the wide trunk of an elm tree, she looked over the horizon and stated, “We will find them, I promise. I’m not giving up even if it means standing ground against the man I looked up to while growing up.”

“I know”, he replied, clasping one of her hands in between his. “I know you are not someone who will back away from the search of truth. And that is why I love you. You are persistent and brilliant, …”

“What did you just say?” she interrupted, taken aback at his words. Her heart pounding violently in her chest not with the rush of adrenaline but for a totally different reason now. She knew that she loved him, she was in love with him. She was not sure from when exactly he took that special place in her heart that no one would ever be able to claim again. But hearing that he had the same feelings for her, filled her with hope, joy and a little fear. What if it was just a figure of speech?

“I said that you are a brilliant detective.” he replied, confused.

“No, before that?”

“I know that you will not back down from this investigation?” he supplied, still flummoxed.

“No…after that. You said you…you love me?”

“Of course, I do”, he immediately said and watched her expression as it went from hopeful to wary.

“You…you mean as a partner, right?” she forced a smile.

He retuned her smile with his own, “I mean as everything, Betty. You are my partner, in sleuthing and in life. And I will be there for you as long as you will have me. I love you, Betty Cooper.”

Her eyes met his. Deep ocean blue, soft and clear and she saw his honesty and adoration reflecting in them. “Jughead Jones, I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? The pieces are falling in places? Let me know in the comments. 😊😊


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost at the end of the journey. Hope, you like it. As always, comments/kudos are appreciated ❤❤

Betty weighed her options. One was direct confrontation with the sheriff. She was reluctant to do so until she had every fact and data with her. Other one was to continue this investigation and try to dodge the bullets while doing it. But it was frustrating how every time she thought she was close enough, there was a dead end. Scott Raglan was dead, Donna Swett on run and Joe Fogarty in a hospital. The only other lead they had was Tom Keller. She received a call from him after their recent brush with death. He sounded frantic on phone, demanding answers for her visit to Fangs. She managed to handle it with a calm attitude, the whole time Jughead was there, linking their fingers together to prevent her from breaking her skin. She always had an inkling in her subconscious that Keller was not too happy about her intention to reopen Dorothy case. But she classified it as his natural incline to not re-work any closed cases when there were new cases to solve. Now it is clear that was not his motivation. She wondered how much part he played in the attempt on her life.

As usual for these days, Jughead was waiting for her outside the station, leaning against his bike, smoking a cigarette. He does not go in nowadays without her. He had her special Pop’s coffee ready. Seeing her, he took one last long drag and put it out quickly under his boots.

“You know, that thing kills.” She complained with hint of genuine worry that always clouds her mind whenever she notices him smoking these days.

He quirked an eyebrow playfully, “you are not getting rid of me that easily, Cooper.”

“Is that a promise, Jones?” she whispered, looking into his ocean blue eyes. An indication of a smile lingered in his voice when he replied, “it most certainly is, detective.”

Reggie was rushing out just as they were about to enter. He exhaled a sigh of relief seeing the duo, “Oh thank heavens you two are here. Another complaint from Mrs. Svenson for break-in. It’s the third time in last two weeks.”

Her eyebrow furrowed. It was unusual for their sleepy town to have the same crime happening in the same household again and again.

“What all are taken?”

“Apparently, nothing”, Reggie shrugged his shoulders. “DeSantos is busy with some domestic disturbance complaints. Do you guys want to join me?”

“Why not”, she followed the detective, Jughead trailing behind her. She needed time before she could face Sheriff Keller or at least decide her plan with him.

* * *

Svenson family originally resided in the Southside, in Sunnyside Trailer park. They had their own family trailer among other families. Mr. Svenson, who was a janitor in Southside High once, lost his job after the school closed. He did some odd jobs after that and moved to Northside. Betty knew this much. But she did not know his northside residence was rather modest, definitely a step up from their trailer. It was a small one story house with a proper front porch. Mr. Svenson died around a month ago in a sudden cardiac arrest. His wife and the only son stay in the house now. Svenson had only one son, Danny. He lost both his legs in an accident few years back. On the way Reggie filled them in about their current status. Danny has a shift in the public library. Mrs. Svenson has her own small bakery business. They live a decent life. They had nothing valuable in their house that could explain repeated attempts for break-in. They did not even find anything stolen, only the living room and a small storeroom trashed.

“We checked the house thoroughly. The storeroom mostly had jumbles. Old papers and other stuffs. Living room has bare minimum arrangements.” Reggie confirmed.

“Well, they came back”, she mused, “that means they did not find whatever they were looking for.”

Mrs. Svenson and Danny were waiting for them anxiously on the front porch. Both clearly frightened. Mrs. Svenson hurried down the steps to meet them as soon as they got out of car.

“Officers, please tell me what is happening here?”

Betty tried her best to calm her down and get a description of the events while Reggie and Jughead went inside to check for anything useful. She talked to both Mrs. Svenson and Danny to understand that the attempts were all same in nature. In the thick of the night, Danny heard a series of sounds, he ignored them initially but when they did not stop, he wheeled his chair out of his room to see where are the noises coming from. But by the time he came to living room, the noises stopped. He noticed a broken window and the living room in a state of mess. Mrs. Svenson takes pill to sleep at night, she slept through all these. Police came and investigated but found nothing. No item was stolen, so they were not worried much. Second time, the chain of events was similar, only this time the storeroom was stashed. And last night, the intruders actually attempted to enter one of the bedrooms. But they had Danny’s cousin and his wife visiting, so the youngsters were awake late and as soon as they heard a glass breaking in the bedroom, they rushed. They saw two dark figures fleeing the scene. They could not give any clearer description. After she finished taking notes, she was inside, asking questions to Danny’s cousin and his wife. Their recount of the incident matched his.

“Can you think of anything that might be of interest to the thieves?” she asked. “something like family heirloom?”

Mrs. Svenson shook her head, “you know how we were, detective. We used to live in a trailer park. It was only after David found this job in the Mayor’s office, we could finally breathe.”

“Mayor’s office?” she did not know about this. “when was this?”

“Oh, this was when Danny started school.” The elder woman confirmed, a reminiscent smile gracing her lips as she recounted, “William Bracken was just appointed as the new Mayor and he was kind enough to offer the janitor’s job in Mayor’s office to David after he lost his job in high school. The school was shut down and we were in dire need of money.”

Her heart raced at this weird connection. Still she tried to quash any other possibility, what if it was her mind playing tricks, “Are you absolutely sure that you can think of nothing valuable in your house?”

“Yes. I am”, Mrs. Svenson nodded with confidence.

“Oh, I’m not so sure”, Jughead just appeared at the storeroom door, holding a folded piece of paper. His eyes glinting with the same excitement she has seen whenever they found a lead in a complex case.

***

Jughead left Betty to deal with the family members and take statements. He, too, thought something odd about repeated break-ins for no apparent reason. His idea was more in line with a treasure island map hidden somewhere in the house, his teenage fantasies coming back in full force. He glided through rooms, calculating the possible hiding places for said map. Reggie was right. They had a very meagre arrangement of furniture inside the house. It is evident that the residents are not accustomed to fancy living. He checked for loose floorboards or any secret chamber behind framed photos, but came up empty. The storeroom was indeed a clutter of junks. Reggie complained something about dust allergy and did not show any intention to set foot inside. He quickly jumped on the opportunity to help the detective. He wanted his relationship with Reggie to be smooth before him and Betty officially announce their relationship. He has a good acquaintance with the brown haired man, but he was not sure that was enough to keep him in Reggie’s good book after his relation with Betty came to light, considering his crush on her since their high school. The detective looked relieved at Jughead’s offer though. He combed through the room, examined every discarded carton, every old yellowish paper. And finally found something he did not know he was looking for. It was a blueprint of Southside High. An innocent enough document if a little creepy to be in possession of a school janitor. But something clicked in his mind as soon as he unfolded the paper. It had a signature scrawled in the corner, D. Svenson. His mind flashed with the initials they associated with Ms. Swett, Officer Raglan and Sheriff Keller. Maybe, D.S was not Donna Swett, but D. Svenson. It was a big maybe, but would explain a lot of things like how a school janitor could afford a house in Northside after losing his job. He grabbed the paper and rushed out of the room to catch just the last parts of Betty and Mrs. Svenson’s conversation.

***

Reggie was clueless as to why Betty and Jughead were so agitated about the discovery, why a blueprint of an abandoned school building was so important. Jughead knew the only thing kept him quiet the entire journey to Southside High was Betty’s promise to tell them everything and the fact that Joaquin was meeting them there.

Joaquin was already there when they reached the deserted building. It was standing amidst tall grass and weeds. The wrought iron gate, big and rusty, made creaky sounds of protest as the four of them pushed. The main structure was still somewhat intact, beneath the dirt of years. The chalky paint chipped off leaving the building with exposed bricks covered in vines and mosses. The door hinges all rusted and the glass windows all cracked or broken with sharp edges, ivy gnarled its way through shattered windows, tangling its leathery shape throughout the building. As they made their way inside, silence greeted them, water dripped down through cracks in the ceiling, rhythmically, generating a melancholic melody. Just as it had been outside, the inside looked like something out of a dystopian movie. It has been taken over by pigeons fluttering in the rooms and nesting by the windows and spiders building webs. Their footsteps echoed throughout the empty halls as they kept going. Betty led the way with a flashlight. The light inside was dim and gloomy, air damp.

“Where are we headed?” Reggie whispered to him, urgently. He could not hold back the reply, “why are we whispering?”

“Shut up, guys”, Betty hissed. “I will explain later.”

She studied the map carefully over the way here. Her concentration fixed on some particular point. He did not have a chance to ask what she found. They were grateful for Joaquin and Reggie who agreed to accompany them with discretion. It looked like Betty had a destination in mind. She stopped after few steps, consulted the blueprint, looked around for some kind of sign and resumed her pace. They fell in line behind her. After a good ten minutes of her cryptic calculations and adjusting direction, they were in front of a small closet, covered in cobwebs and dirt. Her face lit with enthusiasm as she gestured others to stand back and kicked the door open. A whirlwind of dust enveloped them. Both Reggie and Jughead broke into a coughing fit. A few mice ran away with squeaking noise. Betty did not pay heed to any of these disturbances, her hand directly reached for something inside the closet. When she pulled it out, they saw a brown envelope.

“Let’s get out of here”, she commanded.

***

She explained it to her team in the car. The blueprint was elaborate, but only for ground floor. There was a series of arrows drawn in black ink which looks like the direction of emergency exits at first glance. But on close inspection, she noticed that one series of arrows was more specific than that and it stopped at a specific point with no nearby exit point. The thieves came back three times to Svenson house but took nothing. So, whatever they were searching for was most probably not inside the house. Or, not anymore. She decided their best bet was to follow the paper as some sort of map and see where it leads them. She did not know what to expect there. But like Jughead, she had her suspicion now D.S was indeed David Svenson. She had to narrate the past chain of incidents to her colleagues to make them understand the importance of the initials, D.S. Reggie’s mouth dropped open and eyes narrowed while Joaquin looked thoughtful.

They found out soon that the envelope contained an audio tape.

“What do you think is in that tape?” Joaquin asked.

She shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe nothing or maybe some discriminating evidence against powerful people.”

“Wait a minute”, Reggie got back his voice after a full minute of his mouth hanging open. “you are telling me our sheriff is involved in all these?”

She exchanged a quick look with Jughead. Sheriff Keller was a popular cop. He was dutiful and kind. Besides, Reggie and Betty have seen him as one of their close friend’s father.

“No. I don’t believe you. You have gone crazy.” Reggie started shaking his head vehemently. “Jones, is this bullshit theory yours?”

Jughead help up his hands quickly, “trust me, I also want this theory to be wrong.”

“You can’t even imagine how much I hate this theory”, she confirmed. “But we cannot ignore the evidence.”

Reggie jutted his chin out in a stubborn gesture, “then why don’t you ask him on his face? Why are you plotting behind his back?”

“I’m not _plotting_ anything”, she protested. “I’m investigating a murder, possibly two.”

Joaquin placed one hand on Reggie’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him and threw a look back to Betty that conveyed his trust and apologies on behalf of Reggie.

“Let’s go through the tape first. We will discuss other things later.” The ever patient detective commented.

“We should not include Jones if this is a secret investigation against our own Sheriff.” Reggie argued.

“Excuse me?” she started losing her temper. “why not?”

“What is the proof he is not trying to make a prank and turn us against our boss for an interesting twist in his next novel?” he demanded.

She huffed in annoyance, “you gotta be kidding me. Jug will never do anything like that and did you not hear me? The murders took place almost two decades ago.”

“You have a lot of faith in an outsider”, Reggie’s face twisted.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Nothing. Just it seems that you are blind when it comes to his past but starting a crusade against an honest man who has done nothing but help you always.” He spat.

She inhaled sharply. Jughead was staring outside, his forehead rested on the car window. She could not see his face but without a doubt his self-loathing was eating him away if his hardly set jawline was any indication of that.

“Reggie, I know Jughead was in a gang. I know he led the gang for some time and committed some petty crimes. But he has come a long way. So, I would say that was a low blow even for you. And of all people, you should know best how much I respect Sheriff Keller. He is a father figure to me. Do you think I’m ecstatic with the possibility of his involvement in murders?”

Reggie lowered his eyes and mumbled an apology. Joaquin’s hands were steady on the steering wheels throughout this conversation. Jughead turned only slightly from the window to look at her, a sad but grateful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Her heart ached for him. She knew that even after constant support and assurances from his friends, he feels guilty for his time in the gang. She touched his hand where it was resting on the seat in between them and laced their fingers together.

***

Back in the station, they found an empty conference room and Joaquin borrowed the audio cassette player from tech team. Reggie did not protest when Jughead joined them but he refused to acknowledge his presence either. There were few moments of stillness, with only Joaquin working studiously on setting the cassette in the player. The old player came to life with a gurgling sound, startling all four of them. And then voices filled the room. He did not recognize them but judging from the expressions on other’s faces, they probably did. The sound quality was not good but three distinct voices were audible. One sounded frantic, another angry, last one calm and composed.

_“You promised me that the kids will not be affected.”_

_“Don’t you dare that tone on us, Raglan.”_

_“I did not know, Officer. Why will I want the kids to become sick?”_

_“What do we do now? We need to stop making that shit.”_

_“Are you out of your mind? We can’t stop business for a few sick kids. Besides, Mr. Bracken has told that he would take care of it.”_

_“Minnetta is right. We cannot do that. We will lose a lot of money. I need the money for my campaign.”_

_“Oh. I should have known. You will care nothing for the children when it comes to your political aspiration.”_

_“Great. You know now. What are you going to do?”_

_“Calm down gentlemen. Let’s not fight among ourselves. Because, remember, if I’m going down, I will bring you down with me. Every one of you.”_

_“Are you threatening me?”_

_“No. Just a friendly advice, do not try to cross me. Maybe you should cool down and discuss with Susan once.”_

_“You bastard, you brought her into this?”_

_“Easy there, Raglan. She is my niece, she was born into this. And you certainly did not complain when you collected your share of drug money every month.”_

The cassette made some more burbling noises and finally stopped. Okay. So, he did not need to recognize the voices. It was clear that officer Raglan, Minnetta and William Bracken were in collusion for some secret drug deal. But it raised more questions than answers. Where did it leave Donna or Sheriff Keller? How did Donna get the original file for Dorothy case? Why Ashley Morgan and Dorothy Miller were murdered?

Someone rapped on the door. The foursome startled and Betty pulled out the cassette wrapping it in the envelope again instinctively. Joaquin went ahead to open the door to find a frowning Sheriff Keller. He chanced a glance at Betty, her face hardened.

“What are you all doing here?” he asked, genuinely confused.

She straightened on her feet, “We need to have a conversation, sir. It’s urgent.”

The elder man looked around the room, unsure. Reggie refused to meet his eyes, his arms folded over his chest, legs sprawled in front of him. Joaquin gave a polite and professional smile that he gives every suspect and victim alike. Betty gazing into his eyes with such intensity that he squirmed a little. Jughead watched all their silent interactions. He somehow felt that Reggie was right. He was the outsider here. They all have been together for a long time. He cannot expect the same intimacy and comfort level in a few months. He rose from his chair and offered the same to Sheriff, briefly informing Betty that he would prefer to wait outside in response to her questioning gaze. He knew that Betty would tell him everything and he would witness the end of this. All in good time.

***

It all started in the summer of 1998. William Bracken came back to Riverdale, to support his father in his political agenda. They needed a new face to attract the young generation. And William took that place happily. But he did not keep his activities merely limited to campaigns and fundraisers. When he came to know about the Southside gangs, he devised a plan. A full-proof plan to smoothen his journey to the Mayor’s seat as well as making extra money. He observed the gang activities closely. The Serpents did not agree to allow an outsider to order them around. So, he selected the Ghoulies for his dirty work. They were dealing hard drugs haphazardly, in a cheaper price, to the Northside teens. He united them to have their illegal business standardized. Southside High was already a breeding ground of drug dealers, he helped them to setup a cooking lab underground in a forgotten basement area. He took the reign of the business in his own hands. But of course, he needed help from the law enforcement. Cops like Minnetta and Raglan joined him for the extra money and cheap thrill. Minnetta was a dirty cop but Scot Raglan was mostly caught up in the mess out of his young age stupidity. The same reason Ms. Swett broke off her engagement with him. She refused to put up with his whimsical nature and rash decisions. He was reckless and adventurous by nature and Tom Keller believed that his friend wanted to get out of it at some point. But it was too late to back down then. He was already in a marital relationship with Bracken’s niece, Susan. The trio continued their business with profit until the school ground was polluted enough with the waste from drug manufacturing that the children started getting sick. William took the matter in his hands and falsified the original soil report to show everything was normal. Southside High was closed down. All the students got transferred to different institutions. Till that time, it was okay. They planned to keep their business under strict control after Bracken makes it to Mayor. But the Ghoulies were getting out of control. Raglan was already terrified at that point. And Minnetta only wanted his place as a Sheriff.

Then Ashley Morgan, who was a sharp and intelligent lawyer, appeared in the scene. She worked a lot of cases for the Southside people, fighting for their demand of a better life. She started sniffing around and it was believed that some members of the Serpents were helping her to find out the actual reasons behind the school’s closing. Joe Fogarty was one of them. Bracken could not possibly allow this revelation to taint his image, not to mention a trip to prison, just before the election. He ordered a hit on her and Raglan was tasked to pin the murder on Joe. That was the time, he went to his closest friend, Tom Keller for advice. Tom was furious at first. But he could not turn his oldest friend down. They carefully developed the plan to frame Joe for it. He was the most suitable candidate, lacking any concrete alibi and member of a gang. Donna initially refused to help them but got onboard when she came to know that Raglan’s career, and possibly life, was on stake. Keller felt the twinge of guilt but reasoned with himself that Joe was not an innocent bystander. He was a gang member after all, guilty of many illegal activities.

At this point Betty stopped her boss, infuriated, “you had no right to charge him for the crime he did not commit.”

“I know”, Keller’s lips turned downward in a grimace. “It was only to comfort myself.”

After the incident, Keller came to know about Joe’s son and that time the consequences hit him in full force. He demanded Bracken should take the responsibility of Fangs. Bracken dealt with the matter in a cunning way. He offered to cover the boy’s expenses through Keller. Without thinking the intricacies of this arrangement, he agreed. And that was his biggest mistake. He did not take a single penny Bracken gave him for himself. First, he spent it for Fangs’s education. Then he built a trust for students with financial difficulties. But with this money transfer records between them, Bracken held a leverage over him. He was now mixed with them. He could not rat them out even if he wanted to at some point because his own name would be tarnished. Keller had his suspicions that Dorothy Miller was murdered on Bracken’s instructions but rather than investigating it, he chose to look away, for the very same reasons. Donna also suspected something, so when Raglan checked out the Dorothy Miller file, just like Ashley Morgan one and did not return it, Donna confronted him. They had an ugly fight. Minnetta overheard their arguments and he was the one terminated her on the ground of ‘unprofessional and irresponsible behaviour’.

Over the time Bracken and Minnetta moved their drug lab from the school basement to White Wyrm, which became a primary hangout spot for Ghoulies. They kept the dealing strictly outside Riverdale for the time period when Bracken was the Mayor. But for last couple of years, they were slowly building it up again. Malachi was the new leader of Ghoulies. He helped them to keep the business discreet and profitable.

“Of course, I did not know any of these. But I had my suspicions when the cases of possession increased.”

“And you did nothing but looking away again?” Betty asked in disbelief.

The Sheriff’s face contorted in agony, “Malachi was just one of their pawns, Betty. I did not think I had the power to match Bracken and Minnetta together. I tried to do whatever good I could with the money Bracken sent my way.” He was silent for few moments before meeting her eyes, “Obviously, I was wrong.”

When Keller first saw Betty going through Dorothy murder case again, he knew that her life would be in danger. After she was shot, he met with Minnetta and Bracken and begged them to spare her. He promised them that he would make sure that Betty would not poke her nose into their business. They informed him that she was in Raglan’s house, probably in search of the old cases. They wanted him to secure those files. By the time he went there, Ashley Morgan file was already in Betty’s possession but he managed to find the Dorothy case file from its hiding place. He was Raglan’s best friend once, he knew where the man would keep his secret things.

“Wait. That does not explain how Donna got the file.” Betty exclaimed.

Sheriff Keller sighed heavily, “I gave it to her. I arranged her flight from the country because Minnetta already started suspecting her for meeting with you. I told her to take that goddamn file and just leave. I don’t know what she was thinking when she gave it to you.”

He was silent for a few moments and shook his head, “Or, probably I know. Raglan wanted to make amends in his last days. He repeatedly expressed his wish to visit Joe in prison and place some anonymous tip for Miller and Morgan murder cases. Donna took it upon herself to see the file was delivered to a deserving candidate.”

Betty nodded, “And Mr. Svenson was just a liability because he had a secret tape of their conversation?”

“Yes. As per my knowledge, he threatened to have a confidante who will release the tape if something happens to Svenson. He was offered a job at Mayor’s office and regular payment to keep his mouth shut.”

“There is another thing I don’t understand. Officer Raglan died eight to nine months ago. Why there were expenses under his name in Malachi’s books?”

Keller drew in a sharp breath, “Scott’s name?”

“No”, she furrowed her brows, “we found the initials, S.R. We naturally assumed it was for Raglan.”

“It was” Sheriff chuckled humourlessly. “It was for Susan Raglan. Susan has always had an expert business mind. She demanded money in exchange for her husband’s services. That was how Scott found himself forever tied to this mayhem. Although now I know that Susan did not know all the details, else she would have taken care of the files herself.”

There was a prolonged silence. All three detectives absorbed in their own thoughts and Sheriff Keller lost in rumination. Betty broke the silence, finally.

“Thank you, Sir. But I need all these as written statements. I’m going to reopen both the murder cases. I will try to keep your name out of it. Hopefully, with this tape and a meeting with Joe Fogarty, I will be able to build a solid case.”

“It’s okay, Betty. It’s high time somebody starts speaking the truth. I have nothing to lose now. Just know that I never intended any of these to happen.”

“I know. You have always had good intentions with everything. Even in those dark times, you tried your best, in your way. I promise that I will clear Joe Fogarty’s name and I will send Minnetta and Bracken behind the bars.”

Jughead’s heart felt full seeing the familiar twinkle of determination back in her eyes. Cheryl was right. He might have stopped writing his story but it was not complete. He vowed to complete it as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it. The mystery ends here. Please let me know what did you think of it in the comments.   
> Next chapter is going to be full of fluff and fun. No murders.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A book signing event, Varchie wedding and a proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is the end. Just an epilogue to finish the story. Thank you all who have been with me for this journey. ❤❤

**Epilogue: 6 months later**

On a beautiful Saturday evening, Betty found herself driving down the streets of lower Manhattan, next to her, Kevin checking for the address in his whatsapp message, Joaquin and Reggie slumped in the backseat of her car.

“Stop, stop, stop”, Kevin exclaimed. She slammed the brake and glared at her best friend. They stopped in front of the modest looking bookshop. Jughead told her that the shop had an open air restaurant in the patio area. But for now, their destination was inside the store. His novel came to stores few days back and his blog and social accounts, that he begrudgingly setup purely for professional purpose, were already flooding with positive reviews. Today’s reading and book signing arrangement was the last in a long series. He was travelling across the world for past couple of months to promote his book. He demanded one full month of holiday from Cheryl to enjoy his best friends’ wedding and some personal time with his girlfriend. As soon as the later came to mind, Betty’s lips morphed into a fond smile. They made the case against Bracken and Minnetta together. It was a compact case, Bracken’s lawyer could not find any way to get them out. Finally, Minnetta took the deal to flip on the former mayor. Fangs was overwhelmed with emotions when he heard the news of his father’s release. Joe Fogarty survived the injuries from prison fight. That was also orchestrated by Minnetta’s sources inside the prison. Diana thanked them profusely. She needed this closure. Betty thanked her back. If it was not for Diana, they would never have looked into the case in the first place. Sheriff Keller took his early retirement even before the case started. He was one of the critical witnesses. The new Sheriff, Sheriff Raegan, a dutiful and honest officer, has taken over. After the case was over, Jughead was splitting his time between meeting his publisher in New York and spending days with Betty and others in Riverdale.

***

_It was one such lazy Sunday morning, he prepared pancakes and offered her breakfast in bed. She was simultaneously surprised and annoyed seeing him all bright-eyed in the early morning. All she wanted to do was cuddle against him whole morning. But just as she finished her breakfast, he insisted that she takes her shower and gets ready for the day saying they were going somewhere. On her repeated requests, he only told that was a surprise. She mostly faked her irritation, because it was almost impossible for her to remain mad at the glinting blue eyes and pouting lips of Jughead Jones. She trudged to her shower and got dressed. He was already waiting for her, fully clothed, in dining room, chatting with Alice. Alice looked beyond pleased when she greeted her daughter good morning. Betty narrowed her eyes at the duo but they said nothing to her. Much to her dismay, he did not let her drive his motorcycle, pointing out that the destination was a surprise for her. It was a short drive from her home in Elm street, he took a sharp turn towards a dirt road leading inside Fox Forest. Within a couple of minutes, they came to a clearing, Sweetwater River gushing freely on one side, Fox Forest creating perfect backdrop on others. And in the middle of the clearing, among wildflowers and honeysuckles, stood a small cottage. It looked straight out of a fairytale with a happy ending or a picture book for little kids. The walls were made of the dark red bricks and the roof was clearly stone. A two-metre hedge surrounded the property. Vine grew up the archway and the arched wooden door with brown planks. It looked like home. He killed the engine. The only sound was the splashing sound of the river and birds twittering. Damp and mossy smell of the woods surrounded them. He nudged her shoulder with his own. She did not know when her eyes became moist. Inside, it had dark brown wood flooring, two bedrooms with bath, one kids’ room, one living room with fireplace and a kitchen. Furnitures were a mix of styles from Victorian and Edwardian era. A bookshelf, containing a collection of all their favourite books, stood beside the fireplace. Her eyes roamed around and fixed on a photo frame on the mantlepiece. It was a photo of them, she was laughing at something he said. None of them was looking at the camera and that made the picture most naturally adorable._

_“Jug”, she whispered, lest the bubble breaks with a loud noise. “what is this place?”_

_“It is our home.”_

_“home?” she allowed the word to sink in. She had many places to live, growing up. But this one immediately felt like somewhere she belonged to._

_Just then, he went on one knee and extended his palm for her, a small velvet box sitting on it. She froze. He smiled seeing her expression, “don’t worry, I’m not asking you to marry me. I know, we need some more time.”_

_A loud sigh escaped her, “thanks, Jug.” She was thankful that he understood. She knew if she ever plans to take the vows, there would be no other man with whom she would take them. But she was not ready for marriage. Yet._

_He opened the box to reveal a silver promise ring, “Elizabeth Ann Cooper, will you move in with me?”_

_She answered with throwing her arms around his neck, “yes, Juggie. A thousand times yes.”_

They moved in together after a lot of waterworks from Alice and the kids. But all of them claimed that those are happy tears. Noah and Sarah loved the cottage. Jughead built a treehouse for them in the backyard. When she laughed pointing out the twins were growing up fast and it was a little too much to build a tree house for them now, he simply shrugged and replied, “you never grow out of your treehouse, Betts.”

Their first one and half months together in the new home was wonderful. She looked forward to wrap up for the day and go back to the warm embrace of her boyfriend and the welcoming comfort of their small cottage. Most of the times, he stayed in Riverdale, except a couple of weekend trips to the city. He was not actively consulting with them in every case, thought the new Sheriff was a huge fan of his works and requested his help from time to time. He already started writing his next book in the series, featuring the same badass blonde detective and sarcastic raven-haired mystery writer. But then his book release date was round the corner and he was suddenly unavailable for the better part. She missed him a lot in past two months. From what Betty understood, Cheryl was a demanding publisher but under her aura of ruthlessness she was a hopeless romantic. The first time she met with the fiery woman, they became fast friends. And at the end of the evening, Cheryl threatened Jughead to take good care of Betty.

_“Make sure you treat her well, Jay-Jay. Else I will tear you apart with my bare hands.”_

_She could not hide her grin at the terrified look on his face._

_***_

Kevin’s soft poke at her ribs, brought her back to present. The store was packed with audience. Toni came running towards them and ushered them to an area with few chairs arranged for his personal guests. Veronica leaned in and whispered in her ears, “you are just in time. J will start his reading shortly.” Her words barely finished before he took the stage. The loud round of applause was deafening. She felt her heart growing in her chest. The handsome man, dressed in maroon dress shirt and black trousers, in the center of attraction, was her boyfriend, her love of life. His deep voice echoed over the room and she was completely enthralled with his style of reading like everyone else in the audience.

* * *

“Everyone has a story to tell. It does not matter how raw or mundane your story is, it is always worth owning up to it. Sweetwater Diaries is the story of Bethany and Josh. The tale of their partnership, in work and in life. A series of their adventures, their success and failures, their fight and their love. Some of you have asked me if it’s a mystery novel or a love story. The honest answer is that I don’t know. Because, as Ms. Blossom has so eloquently pointed out, love itself remains a great mystery till date. So, I will leave it to you for the final decision.”

He finished his reading with the usual closing statement he usually offers for his latest novel. It was very close to his heart. He remembered how Betty’s fingers gently traced over the words in the dedication section which simply read, “To my inspiration, my saviour, my beloved.” He will never forget the soft vulnerable look on her face as her eyes skimmed over those words again and again.

The Q&A session started with one of the readers asking him to describe Josh and Bethany’s love story in short.

He shrugged a little, “Josh was not looking for love and Bethany was afraid of falling in love. But at the end they both realize that the only thing scarier than risking their hearts is not taking the risk at all.”

The audience erupted in applaud.

“Is it true that this story speaks of your personal life?” someone from audience asked. He had got this question a lot of times in past weeks. The answer to this question was a simple “yes”, nothing more. It was not that he wanted to hide his relationship from public eye, but he did not want too much attention and hype either.

“You have dedicated it to your beloved. So, you finally found someone?”

Another “yes” with a smile. The smile that graces his lips naturally whenever he thinks of her. The overenthusiastic reader tossed another follow-up question, “How would you describe your beloved?”

That was an interesting one. He never thought that he would ever be able to describe her. How is someone supposed to describe the sheer driving force of their life? His words would surely fail him. And he knew that she was in the room, waiting for his reply, he could picture her wide green eyes shining with curiosity and mirth.

“I’m afraid I don’t have enough vocabulary to describe her”, he started with a sharp inhale. “So, I’m going to borrow her favourite author’s words to express how I see her.” He looked around the audience, eagerly waiting for his next words.

“ _She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order._ ”

He hoped Toni Morrisson’s words were sufficient to let her know how he feels about her. Cheryl tapped him on the shoulder to indicate they were running out of time. The Q&A session was brief after that, answering some routine questions from media persons and few more readers. It did not take much time to finish the book signings. Cheryl and Toni hovering near him the whole time, making sure the process was smooth. The last one in the queue, placed the book in front of him and a perky voice echoed, “Do you sign your full name, Forsythe?”

His eyes snapped up to see a grinning college girl, his splitting image with dark hair and blue eyes.

“Do not you dare, Forsythia”, he replied smirking at her scowl. Their jab at each other’s given name never gets old. He invited JB to meet Betty as soon as her summer vacation started. She occupied the guest room in their humble adobe for two weeks. The two girls took to each other’s liking very soon. JB has always been fond of Veronica and while the brunette made a perfect elder sister example, Betty became more like her friend, philosopher and guide. The weeks of summer passed in blur before he had to leave for his book tour. His mood lifted realizing that tonight was the last night of his being away from Riverdale, from his home.

The crowd has mostly dispersed, when he finally made a beeline for the separate seating area for his friends. The first thing he noticed was a sniffing Reggie, his tip of nose red and he was dabbing his eyes. Immediately he panicked, remembering the day they announced their relationship officially to Reggie and Joaquin.

***

_Joaquin already had the knowledge, curtesy Kevin. So, a warm hug and “Congrats man” was expected from him. But Reggie’s reaction had been the most unexpected. The tough detective was speechless for a long time. The he opened and closed his mouth several times. And finally, he burst into tears. Jughead was so shocked that he was rooted in his spot, while Betty consoled her friend cum colleague, rubbing his back in a soothing manner. Joaquin held his shaking body in place, supplying him with endless tissues. After his tears subsided, he demanded to speak to Jughead alone. He knew that Reggie harboured a long time crush on Betty and eyed the gun in his holster warily. Betty whispered in his ears, “You know, if Reg plans to kill you, he won’t use his service revolver.” He glowered at his girlfriend._

_As soon as they were behind closed door, Reggie’s hands grabbed his collars. He almost choked in shock._

_“You promise to take care of her?”_

_He could not resist the snarky reply that came to his mind, “Do you think I will tell you the truth, if I have any intentions to hurt Betty, when you are literally suffocating me?”_

_When the pressure on his neck was not released, he surrendered with a long sigh. “Look, Mantle. I love her. I will never hurt her. And yes, of course, I promise to take care of her.”_

_He released his grip on Jughead and clapped him on the back, “I’m trusting you with one of my oldest friends, Jones. Don’t make me regret it.”_

_“That’s it?” he quirked his eyebrows, “Don’t you have any written statement for me to sign? Or videotape me taking vows to look after Betty?”_

_“Nah”, he shook his head. “You are good for her. She looks happy when you are around. The happiest I have ever seen her.”_

_“I’m sorry, Mantle.” He told sincerely. “I know you liked her since high school.”_

_“Hey, it’s all good. She was way out of my league anyways. And she never looked at me the way she looks at you. I made my peace with that a long time ago. I’m just happy that it’s you, man. Someone I know and like.”_

_He felt his heart warming at Reggie’s words. Reggie was not someone he thought he would consider close friend when they first met. But at that moment he realized, the sturdy detective has made his own unique place in his heart already._

***

“Reggie, are you okay?” he crouched beside the brown-haired man, who hid his face again behind a white handkerchief. His concern must have been evident in his voice, because Betty patted his arm and comforted, “he is just having emotional outburst after your talk.”

With another roll of sniffling, Reggie hugged him tight but did not say anything. He heaved a sigh of relief. Veronica jumped in between them, expression impatient, “we have a dinner reservation. Then we have a lot to plan.”

Everybody groaned. Veronica has been acting like typical bridezilla now the wedding was only a week away. They were tired of going over the seating arrangements, practice speeches and cake tastings. She decided to change the cake flavour just two days back when she learnt that Cheryl’s mom was allergic to pineapple. She ignored their collective sigh as she continued, “Jug, I’m trusting you with the responsibility of my fiancé during the bachelor party. Keep those flirty girls from your college group away from him.”

“Only if Arch promises not to flirt back” he demanded, “And Toni promises to keep her drinking to a minimum.” The dark-haired girl shot daggers at her fiancé who squirmed under her gaze. Cheryl frowned at her girlfriend equally affected by his statement.

“Babe, you know I never look at other girls since we got together.” The redhead sent death glares in his best friend’s way. Cheryl interjected, “you can never trust a man, Vee. I say fit a hidden cam in their party venue.”

“Excuse me”, Archie protested. “you don’t trust me, Ronnie?”

Toni, Kevin and Reggie all started bickering for and against the subject.

He took advantage of this moment of distraction of his friends to lock his lips with Betty’s. She smiled into the kiss, her hands coming up to cup his cheeks. His tongue touched her bottom lips, she opened her mouth happily, giving him access. Kissing and touching her never gets old. It always feels like coming home. Or, refreshing shower after a long summer day. Her vanilla scented shampoo calming his senses. He hooked his hands behind her waist and pulled her close, her body flushing against his.

“Eww! Gross!” Jellybean’s loud voice made them jump apart. He stared blankly at his sister for few moments, his mind still absorbed in their kiss.

“A little help here, Jug?” Archie wore a murderous expression. He figured the fight took a wrong turn leaving no one at Archie’s side and Veronica seriously considering about tracking Archie’s movement during bachelor party.

“Okay. You should trust your fiancé, Ronnie. So, no hidden camera. And Archie loves you. So, no kissing other girls.” He emphasized on the last part while fixing Archie with a stern look. Archie’s face matched his hair colour as he mumbled, “that was one time and that was in college.”

“And you were drunk out of your mind and you were on a break”, he rolled his eyes. “still counts.”

* * *

Veronica and Archie’s wedding venue was in a heritage mansion in upstate New York. The arrangement was as luxurious as any wedding could get. Betty was overwhelmed when Veronica asked her to be the maid of honour. She knew that Veronica has known Jellybean, Cheryl and even Toni, much longer than her. But the raven-haired girl insisted that while all the other girls will be her bridesmaids, she wanted her “B” to be with her on this day in every step. Apart from the Victorian mansion, the property had a rustic barn, white tented deck, English rose garden and a bucolic pond. The ceremony was set to be held in the garden. Alice and the kids drove in the morning of Rehearsal dinner. Jughead was quite busy with his best man duties but made enough time to give the overjoyed kids a tour of the estate. He introduced Betty to other groomsmen, Munroe Moore and Moose Mason, both men from Archie’s football team in college.

Rehearsal dinner was entertaining and went without any hitch. Jughead’s toast, full of sarcasm and funny stories from their childhood left everyone laughing to the point of tears streaming down their cheeks. He also shared some heart-warming stories of how Andrews family has always been a safe haven for Jones siblings which made Fred and Marie cry. Betty met FP Jones during this time only. FP now lives in a small town in Ohio, he owns a book shop there. Jughead told her that his father picked up the habit of reading in prison. And when he was able to put his life together enough, he opted for staying in the small town where he once grew up as a little boy. Jughead’s grandparent’s tiny cottage was still there. So, whenever Betty went to New York to visit Jughead or for his book signing events, FP was never there. She knew that he was very proud of his children’s achievements but he also feels he does not deserve to be present on their important days. She immediately became fond of FP, even after knowing his rocky relationship with Jughead and Jellybean over the years. He has changed a lot now, turned his life around. His relationship with his son has been mended to a great extent. Jellybean still refuses to forgive him fully for what he put her brother through as a result of his irresponsible actions.

The morning of wedding started bright and cheery. There was a short episode of the bride’s emotional breakdown. But other than that, everything was perfect. Veronica looked regal in ivory colour mermaid cut gown. Her favourite diamond tiara sat atop her head, making her appear like a fairy. Bridesmaid’s dress colour scheme was gold and champagne. Cheryl refused to adhere to the colour, her vote was for cherry red and she was dressed in an impeccable red long tulle with embroidery and beading. Betty, the natural follower of rule she is, chose a classic and elegant A-line ball gown silhouette trimmed with a satin waistband and scalloped hemline in the chosen colour combination. She did not have time to meet with Jughead from morning. Between managing to keep Veronica calm and defuse any unwanted situation arising because of Cheryl’s absurd demands, she was having a hard time to keep her own composure. A series of unread texts were piling in her phone to which she could only respond back with one quick reply of how busy she was. But as soon as she met with him at the aisle, his arm extended for her, a fond smile tugging at his lips, his eyes sparkling with admiration, she forgot everything. He was looking handsome in a tailored suit that brought out the blue of his eyes more. When she hooked her arm through his, he leaned in and whispered in her ears, “you look beautiful.” She knew that she was blushing like some teenage girl in love at that simple compliment.

Archie was quietly sobbing when he saw his bride walking down the aisle with her father. Jughead patted him on the back in a soothing gesture but Betty knew that his own eyes were moist.

Archie started taking his vows, in a shaky voice, “I’m terrible with words. So, my best friend decided to put the words to my emotions…”

Betty sneaked a glance at Jughead. He was smiling affectionately at his oldest friends, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

In twilight his hair was blacker, his skin more olive and his eyes bluer. The fairy lights adorning the rose bushes and false arcs, flickered to life, showering the entire area in a magical glow. It illuminated a part of his face, highlighting his sharp jawline and soft smile. And at that very moment, she realized that she was ready. She was ready to walk down any path if he is the one waiting for her at the end of it.

* * *

Jughead grabbed the keys to his bike, before hurrying out of their home, the blue velvet box still safely tucked inside his pocket. He was enjoying his off time with Betty for last two weeks now, making breakfast in bed, cooking dinner for her, lazy weekends watching movies together. He has moved to Riverdale permanently. His apartment in the city was still there, locked. He has planned to rent it out. When he would go there for book release events or publisher’s meetings, he could just claim the luxury of Andrews-Lodge guestroom or comfort of the spare bedroom at Fred’s place. Tonight, he was supposed to cook a special dinner for his girlfriend and propose her with their family ring. He was carrying the ring around for a month now. But seeing her dressed in a gorgeous floor length gown, smiling and wiping her eyes at the wedding ceremony, made him realize that he was finally prepared to take the plunge. He wanted her to be his. He wanted to be there for her when she comes home every night, exhausted and drained, to brighten her mood with his jokes, to massage the knots of tension away from her shoulders. He wanted to wake up every morning to her beautiful face, bask in her positivity and enjoy every little moments of their loving relationship. His plan for the evening came crashing down when he got the text from her, asking to meet her urgently at the Sheriff’s station.

The office was eerily quiet. The entrance corridor dimly lit. Rows of empty desks welcoming him. He made his way to her desk and met with more silence and shadows. Just when he started thinking probably the message was a hoax and this was a trap to kidnap him, her desk area came into view. Unusually bright with candle lights compared to the rest of the precinct. As he neared, he saw rose petals and designer candles. She was standing near the decoration, a radiant smile gracing her lips. He looked around to take in the scene in front of him. _Wait. Is this what he thinks this is?_

Betty saw his shellshocked face and went down on one knee, offering him a bouquet she prepared for him specially, made of three different flowers – ivy, representing fidelity, myrtle, representing love in marriage and honeysuckle, signifying bond of love. It was a unique kind of combination and Cheryl expressed her concerns over Jughead’s ability to read the hidden meanings behind them. But Betty knew that Jughead loved the language of flowers. He knew them by heart and explained her all about it when they watched a documentary on it together. She was planning it for some time now. His expression was priceless, his blinking rapid and lips parted as if debating to say something.

“Forsythe Pendleton Jones, the third, will you…?”

He finally found his voice and cried in disbelief, “how do you know my full name?”

“That is what you are thinking about in the middle of our moment?” she rolled her eyes.

“Okay. Sorry. Go on.”

“Forsythe Pendleton…”

“Do you need to repeat my name?” he interrupted again.

Now, she glared at him, “Jug, my knee is hurting. If you don’t stop cutting me mid-sentence, I swear to God I will put a duct tape over your mouth.”

He looked like he was about to protest but thought better of it. Just when Betty started to try her proposal for the third time, Kevin stumbled into their space, a screaming Veronica on his phone screen, “Kevin Keller, you show me now. I maybe on my honeymoon but I don’t want to miss a moment of this.” Her tone changed as she saw Betty and Jughead’s position, “Oh my God! Did she already do it? Did he say yes?”

It would have been hilarious any other time. But the cold precinct floor was not very comfortable for her stance, neither was Jughead’s repeated complaints about his name.

“No, Vee. Apparently, he is more petulant about his real name than we originally thought.” She huffed.

The raven-haired woman looked sheepish and Jughead looked daggers at her.

“Okay.” Betty took a long calming breath. “Juggie, will you marry me?”

He beamed at her, “Of course, Betts. In fact, I …” He stopped abruptly and patted his jacket and jeans pockets, his expression thoughtful.

“What are you doing?” she hit him with the bouquet, her patience waning, “you are supposed to kiss me now.”

“Impatient much, are we?” he quirked one eyebrow at her, still fumbling through his pockets. Then in response to her stern look, he murmured, “Wait a minute”, and finally retrieved something from his right pocket; his face muscles relaxed. She stared at him in awe as he pulled her up on her feet and mimicked her earlier position on floor, a blue velvet box sitting on his open palm. Veronica and Kevin shrieked together, to which Joaquin, Reggie, Cheryl and Toni came bustling through the door, clearly mistaking it as the signal for Jughead’s “yes” to Betty’s proposal.

Kevin exhaled sharply, excited, “This is riveting! I can’t breathe!!”

She was vaguely aware of Cheryl’s swooning, Toni’s confused “how the roles got reversed”, Reggie’s sniffling and Joaquin’s amused laughter. But all of that did not matter anyways. The candle light spilled over the simple diamond ring, his family heirloom. Her eyes were full to the brim like her heart, her throat constricted. She only nodded fervently at his words, not able to pay attention to almost any of it in the whirlwind of her emotions. As he slipped the ring on her finger, she leaned in, capturing his lips with her own, pouring her everything into the kiss, their friends whooping and clapping around them, Veronica and Archie shouting over the facetime call. Finally, she felt all the broken pieces of her heart pieced back together perfectly with love and trust. Together, they could win any fight. Together, they could create their own fairy tale, not perfect but worth living for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it. Please let me know your feedback in the comments. Thanks to all once again.


End file.
